Departmental Files

Julian Lewis: To ask the Solicitor-General what changes have been promulgated in each of the past five years to the guidelines or other criteria for the retention or destruction of departmental files.

Harriet Harman: Since 1999, the Law Officers' Departments between them have produced at least two schedules for the disposal of records which are specific to its administrative activities. They also disposes of their records in accordance with over 20 guidance notes produced by the National Archives (TNA) over the last five years, covering disposal schedules, managing records in the electronic environment, as well as overarching records management guidance. Further details of this guidance can be found on TNA's website at: http://www. nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordsmanagement/advice.

Invoice Payments

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Solicitor-General what the average length of time was between the date of invoices issued to her Department from a supplier and payment by the Department of the invoice in the last 12 months for which figures are available; what percentage of these invoices were paid within 30 days of the date of issue of the invoice; what percentage of these invoices remained unpaid after 90 days; and if she will make a statement on the Department's policy on the payment of invoices issued to it.

Harriet Harman: During the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, the Law Officers' Departments paid supplier invoices, on average, as shown in the table. The table also shows, for the same period, the percentage of undisputed invoices which the Departments each paid within 30 days and the percentage which remained unpaid after 90 days, where these figures are available. Where these figures are not held centrally, data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	The Government are committed to improving the payment culture in the United Kingdom in order to create a fair and stable environment for business transactions. The Law Officers' Departments support this policy and are committed to paying all invoices in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such conditions exist and the invoice is not in dispute, within thirty days of receipt of the goods or services or presentation of a valid invoice.
	
		Law Officers' Departments—Payment of Invoices for the 12 months 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004
		
			 Department Average length of time between the date of invoice and payment Percentage paid within 30 days of the date of issue or within contractual terms Percentage remaining after 90 days 
		
		
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department(1)— Figures are not kept on the average length of time taken to make payments 92.62 0.61 
			 
			 Crown Prosecution Service(2)— 28 days (3)80 (3)7 
			 Serious Fraud Office Figures are not kept on the average length of time taken to make payments 92.3 Figures are not kept on the length of time invoices are unpaid longer than 90 days 
		
	
	(1) includes figures for the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate; the figures do not include payments for Treasury Solicitor's Department disbursements associated with legal cases as these can be subject to further negotiation. However these payments are monitored internally to ensure delay is as low as possible
	(2) figures for the Crown Prosecution Service include payments for the services of lawyer agents in the magistrates' courts and external advocates in the Crown Court; they do not include payment of claims for travel and subsistence costs for Witness attendance at court.
	(3) figures refer to undisputed invoices

Travel Costs

David Ruffley: To ask the Solicitor-General what the total travel costs to her Department have been for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials for each year since 1997.

Harriet Harman: Since 1999, the Government publishes, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the list are available in the Library of the House.
	The Law Officers do not retain any Special Advisers.
	Details of the cost of the Law Officers' domestic travel are not held separately from that incurred by officials of the Treasury Solicitors' Department and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The total expenditure on travel for each year since 1997 in respect of the Law Officers' Departments is shown in the tables.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code.
	
		Treasury Solicitors Department including the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate(4) £
		
			  Cost per annum 
		
		
			 1998–99 310,600 
			 1999–2000 248,900 
			 2000–01 190,500 
			 2001–02 168,800 
			 2002–03 293,900 
			 2003–04 319,400 
		
	
	(4) Includes travel by the Law Officers and officials.
	
		Crown Prosecution Service £
		
			  Cost per annum 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,654,300 
			 1998–99 2,739,800 
			 1999–2000 3,138,000 
			 2000–01 3,430,200 
			 2001–02 4,255,500 
			 2002–03 4,543,200 
			 2003–04 4,819,600 
		
	
	
		Serious Fraud Office £
		
			  Cost per annum 
		
		
			 1997–98 333,000 
			 1998–98 243,000 
			 1999–2000 324,000 
			 2000–01 467,000 
			 2001–02 569,000 
			 2002–03 493,000 
			 2003–04 527,000

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Leader of the House what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Phil Woolas: The Privy Council Office (PCO) provides the administrative support for the Leader of the House. PCO's policy is to save e-mails which form part of the official record for as long as business needs require. E-mails are then stored in accordance with record management procedures. Further e-mail guidance is available at the National Archive website, www. nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronic records/advice/pdf/managingemails.pdf.
	E-mails which are no longer required for business reasons are deleted. This policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

China

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of China with respect to the detention without charge of Pastor Zhang Rongliang; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I refer the honourable Member to the reply I gave to my honourable Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 20 December (Official Report, column 1397W).

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of refurbishments in his Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Bill Rammell: The Department has spent the following sums on refurbishment since 1997:
	
		
			  (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 3.2 
			 1998–99 4.7 
			 1999–2000 22.5 
			 2000–01 31.2 
			 2001–02 10.1 
			 2002–03 8.9 
			 2003–04 6.2 
			 2004–05(5) 5.7 
			 2005–06(6) 9.1 
		
	
	(5) expenditure to date
	(6) planned expenditure
	The figures shown cover refurbishment at home and overseas. The significantly higher costs incurred in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 include the refurbishment of the Old Admiralty Building.

European Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the activities to raise awareness of the EU that his Department is undertaking; and who the participants are.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 16 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1269–70W.

Moldova

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what position was taken by the UK at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting in Sofia on 6 to 7 December on the Russian occupation of part of Moldova; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The UK's position was set out in our statement at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial in Sofia. We want Russia to fulfil commitments made when signing the Adapted Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul in 1999. These commitments include the full withdrawal of arms and ammunition from Transnistria, or their destruction in situ, and the withdrawal of Russian forces.
	The full text of the UK's statement is available on the OSCE website at http://www.osce.org/events/mc/bulgaria2004/documents/files/mc l102435776 e.pdf.

Newspapers/Periodicals

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals taken by his Department in each year since 1997; and how much the Department spent on each in each year.

Jack Straw: Expenditure is as follows (only combined figures are available prior to 2001):
	
		
			£ 
			  Expenditure Newspapers Periodicals 
		
		
			 1997–98 489,895 — — 
			 1998–99 586,510 — — 
			 1999–2000 566,067 — — 
			 2000–01 588,078 — — 
			 2001–02 590,721 211,393 379,328 
			 2002–03 608,401 244,838 363,563 
			 2003–04 500,682 231,973 268,709 
		
	
	A current list of newspaper and periodical titles taken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been placed in the Library of the House. Lists of titles from previous years are not available.

Uganda

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the Ugandan Government regarding reports of payments to members of Parliament in Uganda for their support of the proposed constitutional amendment to remove the two-term presidential limit; what reports he has received of such actions taking place; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We are concerned by reports that members of Uganda's Parliament are alleged to have received payments in order to secure their support for proposals to amend the Ugandan constitution.
	Our High Commissioner in Kamapala raised our concerns with the Ugandan Government on 1 November. We will continue to urge that the process of political change on which Uganda is embarking should follow the provisions of the constitution, uphold the rule of law and institutions of governance and be free from physical intimidation or financial manipulation.

Arts Council (Theatre)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what revenue support has been given by Arts Council England for theatrical activity in each of the last three years for which data is available for projects in (a) Staffordshire, (b) Derbyshire, (c) Cheshire, (d) Warwickshire, (e) Herefordshire and (f) Worcestershire.

Estelle Morris: The data available is contained in the following table:
	
		
			£ 
			 County 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 (a) Staffordshire 696,771 844,665 865,781 
			 (b) Derbyshire 454,360 701,070 718,597 
			 (c) Cheshire 325,391 438,407 449,372 
			 (d) Warwickshire 247,552 304,979 405,603 
			 (e) Herefordshire 48,575 155,033 158,909 
			 (f) Worcestershire 42,782 63,767 65,361

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of travel within the UK for the Department was in each year since 1997; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Richard Caborn: The following table shows departmental expenditure by Ministers and civil servants on UK travel and subsistence. An analysis by type of expenditure is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All official travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	
		
			 Financial year UK T&S (£) 
		
		
			 2004–05(7) 368,139.99 
			 2003–04 596,563.42 
			 2002–03 633,040.59 
			 2001–02 582,966.53 
			 2000–01 536,366.30 
			 1999–2000 502,258.11 
			 1998–99 429,482.14 
			 1997–98 373,363.70 
		
	
	(7) To 16 December 2004.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sporthow many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by her Department in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Richard Caborn: The following table shows departmental expenditure by Ministers and civil servants on overseas travel and subsistence. An analysis by type of expenditure is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All official travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2004 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2004–05 will be published as soon as possible at the end of the current financial year.
	
		
			 Financial year Overseas (£) 
		
		
			 2004–05(8) 220,177.12 
			 2003–04 337,094.77 
			 2002–03 243,596.37 
			 2001–02 167,626.85 
			 2000–01 275,649.23 
			 1999–2000 253,171.21 
			 1998–99 213,801.36 
			 1997–98 209,200.71 
		
	
	(8) To 16 December 2004

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions.

Richard Caborn: Details of expenditure are not held at that level for the years prior to 2000. The periods recorded are financial years.
	
		Running Costs £000
		
			  Electricity Water Gas Telephones(9) Televisions 
		
		
			 2000 283,931 3,106 58,532 357,000 No Record 
			 2001 273,750 3,061 58,784 260,000 14,981 
			 2002 276,019 3,100 59,503 302,000 15,684 
			 2003 253,616 2,696 52,015 236,000 15,872 
		
	
	(9) included in the cost of telephones

Lottery Funding

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much lottery funding was received from distributors for expenditure on (a) the arts, (b) National Heritage and (c) sport in each year from 1997 to 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The following amounts of lottery money were distributed by distributors within the Arts, Heritage and Sports good causes, by calendar year:
	
		
			£ million 
			  Arts Heritage Sport 
		
		
			 1997 359 474 176 
			 1998 195 318 252 
			 1999 241 212 303 
			 2000 129 172 369 
			 2001 199 239 449 
			 2002 174 316 421 
			 2003 196 333 162 
			 2004(10) 86 169 30 
		
	
	(10) The figures for 2004 are not yet final due to lags in the reporting process.
	This information is freely available from the Department's searchable lottery award database at www.lottery.culture.gsi.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the lottery distributors.

Stolen Property

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the property belonging to her Department that has been (a) stolen and (b) reported lost in each year since 1997, broken down by type of article.

Richard Caborn: All losses and thefts of property are reported annually to Her Majesty's Treasury and thefts are also recorded as security breaches. Records of thefts and losses prior to 1998 are no longer available.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1998 (11)1,350 
			 1999 0 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 (12)1,823 
			 2002 (13)3,200 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 (14)0 
		
	
	(11) Lap top computer
	(12) Personal computer, PC ancillaries
	(13) Computer equipment
	(14) To date

Central Africa

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) monetary aid and (b) food aid was provided to each country in Central Africa by (i) EU member states, (ii) the EU, (iii) the US and (iv) the UK, with the aim of relieving the humanitarian and social burden of refugee populations from the host nation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Current available data do not allow a complete answer to this question. Many donors, including DFID, provide a significant part of their support to humanitarian agencies either as un-earmarked contributions, or on an Africa-wide basis, which does not lend itself to being broken down by specific Central African countries. Additionally, agencies often target refugees as well as other vulnerable groups within one single operation, making it difficult to isolate the support to refugees.
	DFID channels the majority of its monetary support to refugee operations through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Globally, (including Central Africa), from 1997 until 2004, DFID contributions to the UNHCR have totalled £145 million. For the same period, US contributions have totalled £1.2 billion, EC contributions have totalled £350 million, and EU member state contributions combined (not including UK contributions) have amounted to £1 billion. Of the £26 million provided to the UNHCR in 2003, £15 million (57 per cent.) was unearmarked but certainly contributed to the Central African operations, a further £1 million (4 per cent.) was earmarked for general Africa operations, and an additional £1.5 million (6 per cent.) was specifically earmarked for operations in Chad and the DRC.
	From 1997 until 2003, DFID also channelled a further £11 million of support to non-UN agencies operating in support of refugee programmes across the Central and Great Lakes Regions of Africa.
	For food assistance to refugees, DFID channels the majority of its funding through the World Food Programme (WFP). Again, it is not possible to disaggregate this support accurately by specific countries. However, from 1998 until 2004, DFID support to the WFP globally has totalled £300 million, and DFID is currently the WFP's fourth largest donor. For the same period, US support to the WFP has totalled £3.8 billion, EC support has totalled £650 million, and combined EU member-state contributions (not including the UK) have amounted to £920 million. As a Central African example, 2004 contributions to the WFP's feeding programme for Sudanese refugees in Chad have seen the UK commit £2.2 million compared to the US contribution of £16 million, the EC contribution of £1.4 million, and the non-UK EU member state contributions totalling £4.3 million.
	Meeting the food and non-food requirements of refugee populations in Central Africa remains a humanitarian priority for DFID. In addition, DFID actively promotes local acceptance of refugees by channelling parallel support to host populations and refugee-affected areas. And ultimately, DFID supports the search for durable solutions for refugee populations, promoting and facilitating voluntary repatriation when conditions in the country-of-origin permit. At the same time, DFID also prioritises similar standards of assistance to Internally Displaced Persons.
	Additional information on other donor contributions to refugee operations in Africa can be found on the websites of the UNHCR (www.unhcr.ch), the WFP (www.wfp.org), Reliefweb (www.reliefweb.int), the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (www.state.gov/g/prm/), and the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) (http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/index en.htm).

Taskforces

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 16 December 2004
	Since 1997, the Department for International Development (DFID) has been responsible for 11 non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), task forces and advisory bodies. Expenditure for each is as follows:
	
		
			£ million 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Executive NDPBs
			 Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom 20 19 18 19 19 18 21 
			 Commission costs including honoraria, welcome programme etc 0.055 0.063 0.084 0.096 0.107 0.116 0.140 
			 Crown Agents Holding and Realisation Board 0.053 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 
			 Advisory NDPBs
			 Advisory Committee on Overseas Economic & Social Research 0.001 0.001 0 0.001 0.001 — — 
			 Development Awareness Working Group — 0.002 0 0.007 0.007 — — 
			 Indian family Pensions Funds Body of Commissioners 0.001 0.001 0 0.001 0.001 — — 
			 Know How Fund Advisory Board 0.001 0.001 0 — — — — 
			 Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board 0.001 0.001 0 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 
			 
			 Task Force
			 Commission on Intellectual Property Rights — — — — — 0 — 
			 
			 Ad-hoc Advisory Groups
			 Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy — — — — — 0 — 
			 Rural Enterprise Technology Facility (RETF) Working Group — — — — — 0 — 
			 
			 Public Corporations
			 Commonwealth Development Corporation 0 0 0 0 — — — 
		
	
	Note:
	The majority of costs listed relate to administrative charges and the reimbursement of travelling expenses. Where '0' is shown, this signifies costs of less than £1,000.
	DFID provides funding to support the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Plan which is administered by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission in the UK, an NDPB. The Plan provides scholarships and fellowships for students from Commonwealth countries to study either in the UK or, increasingly, through distance learning in country. Since 1997, DFID has provided a total of £62.5 million to the overall costs of the plan; of this £747,545 was the total cost for the operation of the Commission.

Administrative Discharges

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many administrative discharges have taken place under Queen's Regulation paragraph (a) 9.398, (b) 9.403, (c) 9.404, (d) 9.405, (e) 9.411, (f) 9.412, (g) 9.413 and (h) 9.414 since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: The number of discharges that have taken place under the requested Queen's Regulation paragraphs are:
	
		Soldiers
		
			 Date of flow/outflow code Queen's Regs. Grand total 
		
		
			 1998  
			 (a) 9.398 — 
			 (b) 9.403 0 
			 (c) 9.404 120 
			 (d) 9.405 160 
			 (e) 9.411 15 
			 (f) 9.412 0 
			 (g) 9.413 (15)190 
			 (h) 9.414 1,100 
			   
			 1999  
			 (a) 9.398 0 
			 (b) 9.403 5 
			 (c) 9.404 110 
			 (d) 9.405 180 
			 (e) 9.411 15 
			 (f) 9.412 — 
			 (g) 9.413 95 
			 (h) 9.414 925 
			   
			 2000  
			 (a) 9.398 10 
			 (b) 9.403 — 
			 (c) 9.404 90 
			 (d) 9.405 170 
			 (e) 9.411 20 
			 (f) 9.412 — 
			 (g) 9.413 65 
			 (h) 9.414 1,165 
			   
			 2001  
			 (a) 9.398 0 
			 (b) 9.403 — 
			 (c) 9.404 115 
			 (d) 9.405 150 
			 (e) 9.411 20 
			 (f) 9.412 0 
			 (g) 9.413 45 
			 (h) 9.414 1,315 
			   
			 2002  
			 (a) 9.398 10 
			 (b) 9.403 0 
			 (c) 9.404 120 
			 (d) 9.405 160 
			 (e) 9.411 20 
			 (f) 9.412 0 
			 (g) 9.413 5 
			 (h) 9.414 1,125 
			   
			 2003  
			 (a) 9.398 — 
			 (b) 9.403 — 
			 (c) 9.404 135 
			 (d) 9.405 170 
			 (e) 9.411 20 
			 (f) 9.412 0 
			 (g) 9.413 0 
			 (h) 9.414 1,375 
			 Grand total 9,220 
		
	
	(15) Figures for (g) 9.413 in 1998 have been revised due to later information.
	Notes:
	1. The data have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	2. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear as the sum of their parts.
	3. Data less than 5 are suppressed and replaced by '—'.

Armed Forces (Ethnic Minorities)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) male and (b) female soldiers from ethnic minorities are serving in each of the armed services.

Ivor Caplin: As at 1 October 2004 the estimated 1 number of armed forces personnel 2 from ethnic minority backgrounds was as follows:
	
		
			 Service Male Female Total 
		
		
			 Naval Service 870 120 990 
			 Army 7,280 770 8,060 
			 Royal Air Force 1,150 170 1,310 
			 All services 9,300 1,060 10,360 
		
	
	(16) Figures provided are full coverage estimates which show the number of ethnic minorities that would be expected if ethnicity were known for all personnel.
	(17) Figures are for UK regular forces (including both trained and untrained personnel), and therefore excludes Gurkhas, full time reserve service personnel, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and naval activated reservists.
	All figures include both officers and other ranks and are rounded to the nearest 10. Due to the rounding methods used totals may not equal the sum of the parts.

Departmental Equipment

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was to his Department of equipment purchased from other members of the European Union in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: Identifying work on equipment (including development and manufacture) which is purchased from other members of the European Union is complicated by internationally collaborative tasks (e.g. Typhoon), joint venture companies and international companies.
	Estimates of expenditure paid by the Department (excluding its Trading Fund Agencies) for the last five years are provided in the following table. These estimates are compiled from location of work information associated with individual contractual payment data made by the Defence Bills Agency and EU partner work shares on international collaborative projects.
	
		
			  £ million (in current prices) 
			  Amount 
		
		
			 1999–2000 670 
			 2000–01 860 
			 2001–02 830 
			 2002–03 1,020 
			 2003–04 1,000 
		
	
	The numbers have been rounded to the nearest £10 million and are inclusive of non-recoverable VAT.
	In 2001–02 the Department introduced Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) moving from the cash system that employed "Internal Account Codes" (IACs). Systems were still in transition in 2002–03. In 2003–04 Resource Accounting Codes (RACs) were fully implemented throughout the MOD systems. The move from IACs to RACs changes the method for identifying equipment spends and causes a break in the time series.

Departmental Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women there are in senior positions in his Department.

Ivor Caplin: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following addresses. http://www. civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04.xls.
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/ publications/xls/disability apr04 4nov04.xls.

Ethnic Minorities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent to which his Department's policies meet the needs of ethnic minorities.

Ivor Caplin: A comprehensive assessment of the policies and practices of the Ministry of Defence regarding ethnic minorities, together with our future objectives, is set out in the Department's Race Equality Scheme published in May 2002. There have since been two progress reports published in 2003 and 2004. The scheme and both progress reports are available on the Ministry of Defence website at www.mod.uk/issues/racial equality/index.html. Copies of both reports are available in the Library of the House.
	We are in the process of reviewing the scheme in accordance with the legislative deadline of 31 May 2005 in order to replace it following the publication of the third and final progress report in 2005.
	We are also currently in the process of piloting an equality proofing tool prior to making it available across the Department as a whole.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on entertainment by the Cabinet Office in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

David Miliband: Details of the Department's spend on entertainment in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ thousand 
			  Entertainment expenditure 
		
		
			 1997–98 192 
			 1998–99 170 
			 1999–2000 276 
			 2000–01 277 
			 2001–02 254 
			 2002–03 307 
			 2003–04 381 
		
	
	Information breaking down the expenditure by the categories requested cannot be readily retrieved without incurring disproportionate cost.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of the Department with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions.

David Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. MacShane) gave him on Monday 29 November 2004, Official Report, column 10W.

Sickness Absence

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

David Miliband: Sick absence figures for the Cabinet Office are published annually in the report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service". Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based for the Cabinet Office . Copies of the latest report for 2003 are available in the Library. Reports for years 1999 to 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice. gov.uk/management information/conditions of service/caje/publications/index.asp_sickness.
	Cabinet Office is committed to managing sick absence effectively. It has in place robust procedures that are supported by comprehensive in house guidance and training for managers and individuals.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of refurbishments in his Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Rosie Winterton: Departmental expenditure on refurbishments in the period since 1997 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,980,802 
			 1998–99 1,271,733 
			 1999–2000 1,453,483 
			 2000–01 652,456 
			 2001–02 559,009 
			 2002–03 2,087,270 
			 2003–04 2,882,993 
			 2004–05 (18)2,012,974 
			 2005–06 (19)2,000,000 
		
	
	(18) Anticipated outturn.
	(19) Planned expenditure.

Departmental Properties

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise.

Rosie Winterton: The Department and its Executive Agencies occupy 41 properties comprising 105,8366.66 square metres of floor space. None of the properties are vacant.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what purposes the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority employs consultants; and how much it has paid to consultants since June 2001 and plans to pay up to April 2005.

Melanie Johnson: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) employs consultants to provide specialist knowledge and specific advice that is not available within its existing workforce. The areas covered have included consultation on specific policy work, including advice on consultations with the public and surveys in connection with reviewing existing policies and developing new policies, information technology expertise and assistance with the setting up and design of the HFEA's register project, including advice on centre billing, setting up the audit programme and the minimum data set for the register.
	The HFEA has advised me that fees paid to consultants since 2001–02 are as shown in the table.
	
		Consultants fees paid by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority: 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2005 1
		
			  Fee (£000) 
		
		
			 2001–02(21) 451 
			 2002–03 624 
			 2003–04 405 
			 2004–05 to date(22) 72 
			 Forecast to 31 March 2005 55 
		
	
	Notes:
	(20) Consultants work has covered specific policy work and information technology, including work on the HFEA's register.
	(21) Expenditure is for the full financial year as information required to establish the proportion of spend made after June 2001 could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
	(22) Information covers period 1 April 2004 to 16 December 2004.
	Source:
	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Sickness Absence

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

Rosie Winterton: The data on sickness within the Department is contained in the annual report, Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service, published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based on. The most recent of which, for calendar year 2003, was announced by written ministerial statement on 1 November 2004, Official Report, column 1WS and copies placed in the Library. Reports for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office web site at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/conditions of service/caje/publications/index.aspffsickness.

Documents

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act.
	Email messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Further email guidance is available on the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing emails.pdf
	Departmental policy on this has not changed within the past 12 months.

Housing Benefit

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many housing benefit claims in 2003–04 were subject to each rate of non-dependent deduction; at each rate, how many claimants were living in (a) council housing, (b) registered social landlord housing and (c) the private rented sector; and what each figure represents as a percentage of total housing benefit claims.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Housing benefit non-dependants by deduction type and tenure, Great Britain: May 2003 Thousands and percentages
		
			  All tenures Registered social landlord Local authority Private 
		
		
			 Total with non-dependants (23)270 80 158 32 
			 As a percentage of all HB claimants 7.1% 2.1% 4.2% 0.9% 
			 Of which: 
			 Attracting deductions for non-dependants 128 36 77 15 
			 As a percentage of all HB claimants 3.4% 1.0% 2.0% 0.4% 
			 Non-dependants: 
			 Total (24)304 92 176 36 
			 Attracting deductions 136 39 81 16 
			 Status of non-dependants: 
			 In remunerative work 59 19 33 7 
			 Of which: 
			 Gross income <£92 6 (25)2 4 (25)1 
			 Gross income £92-£136.99 8 3 4 (25)1 
			 Gross income £137-£176.99 12 4 6 (25)2 
			 Gross income £177-£234.99 10 3 6 (25)1 
			 Gross income £235-£292.99 6 (25)1 4 (25)1 
			 Gross income £293 and over 16 6 8 (25)2 
			 Not receiving IS/JSA(IB) nor working 28 6 18 4 
			 Receiving IS/JSA(IB), not in work 49 14 31 4 
			 On Government Training Allowance, not in work (26)— (26)— (26)— (26)— 
			 Unknown (25)2 (26)— (25)1 (26)— 
		
	
	Notes:
	(23) This figure is the number of housing benefit recipients with at least one non-dependant.
	(24) This figure is the total number of non-dependants.
	(25) Figures under 2,500 are subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be used only as a guide to the situation.
	(26) Nil or negligible.
	Notes:
	1. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	3. The caseloads are rounded to the nearest thousand, and percentages to one
	decimal place.
	4. Housing benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2003.

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Christopher Leslie: The Department for Constitutional Affairs continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act.
	E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Further email guidance is available on the National Archives web site at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing emails.pdf

Crown Estate Property

Alan Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Crown Estate property has been leased to Prince Edward; how long the lease is; and how many (a) bedrooms and (b) living rooms there are in the property.

Stephen Timms: The Crown Estate has a 50 year lease agreement with the Earl of Wessex for Bagshot Park in Windsor.
	As a matter of principle The Crown Estate does not disclose details of the composition of any private residencies on which it has granted leases, as this is considered to be a confidential matter between The Crown Estate and the lessee.

Customs and Excise

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs and Excise staff were employed in Scotland in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of staff employed in Scotland in civil service departments and agencies since 1997, including HM Customs and Excise, are available on the Cabinet Office's "civil service statistics" websiteat http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/index.asp and in the annual editions of 'Civil Service Statistics'.

Employment Rates

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many adults of working age were economically inactive in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of these were in each of the 10 largest cities in terms of population.

Paul Boateng: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Willetts, dated 10 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic inactivity. I am replying in his absence.
	The table overleaf gives estimates for the working age people who are economically inactive (i.e. neither in employment nor unemployed) and resident in each of the 10 largest cities in the UK for the three month period ending in August 2004. The data are the numbers of economically inactive people resident in each City Unitary Authority area, except for London where the data are for the sum of the London Boroughs. The cities are listed in the order of size of population in the Unitary Authority areas.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		Working age economic inactivity(27) in the largest cities(28) in the UK. Three months ending in August 2004 Not seasonally adjusted
		
			  Number (thousand) 
		
		
			 Total United Kingdom 7,729 
			 City unitary authority area  
			 London(29) 1,186 
			 Birmingham 165 
			 Leeds 87 
			 Glasgow 97 
			 Sheffield 78 
			 Bradford 72 
			 Edinburgh 56 
			 Liverpool 95 
			 Manchester 77 
			 Bristol 54 
		
	
	(27) This refers to working age people (male 16 to 64, female 16 to 59) who are neither in employment nor unemployed.
	(28) Each of the 10 largest cities in the United Kingdom are sorted in descending order of population size.
	(29) Sum of London boroughs.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Employment Rates

David Willetts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
	(1)  what the rates of (a) economic activity and (b) employment amongst men aged (i) under 25 years, (ii) 25 to 34 years, (iii) 35 to 44 years, (iv) 45 to 54 years, (v) 55 to 64 years, (vi) 65 to 74 years and (vii) 75 years or over were on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  what (a) economic activity rate and (b) employment rate amongst women aged (i) under 25 years, (ii) 25 to 34 years, (iii) 35 to 44 years, (iv) 45 to 54 years, (v) 55 to 60 years, (vi) 61 to 64 years, (vii) 65 to 74 years and (viii) 75 years or over was on the latest date for which figures are available.

Paul Boateng: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Mr. Colin Mawl to Mr. David Willetts, dated 10 January 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about employment and economic activity. I am replying in his absence.
	The table overleaf gives numbers and rates of employment and economic activity by age and by gender in the United Kingdom for the three-month period ending in August 2004.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		Economic Activity Three months ending in August 2004 United Kingdom not seasonally adjusted
		
			 All persons Employment (thousand) Employment rate(31) (percentage) Economic Activity (thousand) Economic Activity(32) rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 Under 25(30) 4,140 62.0 4,795 71.8 
			 25–34 6,141 79.7 6,419 83.3 
			 35–44 7,364 81.8 7,587 84.2 
			 45–54 6,124 80.7 6,297 83.0 
			 55–64 3,850 56.1 3,953 57.6 
			 65–74 474 9.5 483 9.7 
			 75+ 66 1.6 66 1.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Men Employment (thousand)) Employment rate (percentage) Economic Activity (thousand) Economic Activity rate (percentage)) 
		
		
			 Under 25(30) 2,147 64.1 2,523 75.4 
			 25–34 3,286 87.6 3,446 91.8 
			 35–44 3,942 89.2 4,062 91.9 
			 45–54 3,224 86.0 3,326 88.7 
			 55–64 2,220 65.8 2,294 68.0 
			 65–74 301 12.8 307 13.1 
			 75+ 42 2.6 42 2.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Women Employment (thousand) Employment rate(31)(percentage) Economic Activity (thousand) Economic Activity rate(32) (percentage) 
		
		
			 Under 25(30) 1,993 59.8 2,272 68.1 
			 25–34 2,855 72.2 2,972 75.1 
			 35–44 3,422 74.6 3,525 76.8 
			 45–54 2,900 75.5 2,971 77.3 
			 55–64 1,630 46.7 1,659 47.5 
			 65–74 173 6.6 175 6.7 
			 75+ 24 1.0 24 1.0 
		
	
	(30) This refers to people aged 16 to 24.
	(31) The rates refer to people in employment as percentage of the population in the relevant gender and age group.
	(32) The rates refer to people who are economically active (either in employment or unemployed) as a percentage of the total population in the relevant gender and age group.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Inland Revenue/Customs and Excise (Merger)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many (a) gross job losses, (b) net job losses and (c) job relocations from (i) the Inland Revenue and (ii) HM Customs and Excise would result from implementing (A) the Gershon Review, (B) the Lyons Review and (C) the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise;
	(2)  what efficiency savings from (a) the Inland Revenue and (b) HM Customs and Excise would result from implementing (i) the Gershon Review, (ii) the Lyons Review and (iii) the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise.

Dawn Primarolo: The efficiency and relocation recommendations of the Gershon and Lyons reviews apply to the integrated Revenue and Customs department announced in the 2004 Budget.
	I refer the hon. Member to the Efficiency Technical Note published by HM Revenue and Customs, http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/psa/hmrc etn.pdf.

Royal Lodge, Windsor

Alan Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) bedrooms and (b) living rooms there are within the Royal Lodge, Windsor.

Stephen Timms: As a matter of principle, The Crown Estate does not disclose details of the composition of any private residencies on which it has granted leases, as this is considered to be a confidential matter between The Crown Estate and the lessee.

Tax Credits

Anne Begg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many end of year tax credit overpayments have been identified by the Inland Revenue;
	(2)  how many requests not to recover tax overpayments the Inland Revenue has received in the last period for which figures are available; and how many requests have been processed;
	(3)  in how many cases the Inland Revenue has decided not to recover a tax credit overpayment in the last period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many appeals have been lodged with the Inland Revenue with regard to tax credit (a) overpayments and (b) underpayments; and how many have been settled.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of tax credit overpayments, I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Members for Northavon (Mr. Webb) and Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 15 November 2004, Official Report, columns 946–48W.
	By the end of December 2004 about 78,000 taxpayers had returned Form TC846, or had otherwise been recorded as requesting the write-off of their overpayments on grounds of official error. About 41,000 requests had been decided by that date, and about 1,600 families had their overpayments written off for that reason.
	To date the Inland Revenue has had to consider very few requests for overpayments to be written off on ground of inability to pay.
	In addition, for the number of families whose overpayments arising from a software error are to be written off, I refer her to paragraph 2.10 of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General attached to the Inland Revenue Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2004.
	Tax credit claimants can appeal against decisions which affect the value of their entitlement. Whether there is an overpayment or underpayment is irrelevant to the consideration of the appeal, and so records are not held of the number of appellants who had an overpayment or underpayment.

Departmental Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent by her Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

Jacqui Smith: Only the costs of the Small Business Investment Taskforce for 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2003–04 are separately identifiable. These were:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2000–01 17 
			 2001–02 39 
			 2003–04 60 
		
	
	The Small Business Investment Taskforce's costs for 2002–03 and those of DTI's other Taskforces and similar bodies are not identified separately within DTI's Accounts arid can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of travel within the UK for the Department was in each year since 1997; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Patricia Hewitt: The cost of DTI travel within the UK in each year since 1998 was:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Cost of travel 
		
		
			 1998–99 6,026,861 
			 1999–2000 6,735,828 
			 2000–01 7,032,027 
			 2001–02 7,602,641 
			 2002–03 6,883,983 
			 2003–04 10,996,512 
		
	
	DTI UK travel costs for 1997–98 are not stored electronically and it would entail disproportionate cost to gather that data.
	The cost of DTI UK hotel accommodation within the UK in each year since 1997 was:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Cost of hotel accommodation 
		
		
			 1997–98 760,867 
			 1998–99 801,623 
			 1999–2000 745,315 
			 2000–01 928,188 
			 2001–02 1,009,618 
			 2002–03 1,188,627 
			 2003–04 1,090,040 
		
	
	To provide information about how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence would entail disproportionate cost.

Departmental IT Projects

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list her Department's IT projects in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) amount spent, (b) purpose, (c) cost of over-run and (d) time of over-run.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department has had a PFI contract for the provision of IT services since 1999, where IT project costs are borne by the supplier. IT systems also form part of other outsourced business services. Under these contracts my Department pays service charges that include IT systems development and support costs.
	Since 1997 my Department has introduced many IT systems and services some of which are identified as follows:
	
		
			  IT system Service 
		
		
			 1997–98 DRMS Database of Departmental files 
			 1998 RAB Departmental Accounting System 
			 1999 Elgar IT Desktop, network infrastructure and support services 
			 2001–03 Matrix Departmental Electronic Records System 
			 2002–03 Calipsoe Departmental HR system 
			 2002–03 Mentor Departmental Accounting Services (including IT Services) 
			 2004 Capri Ministers Correspondence Tracking System 
			 2004 JI/CMS Web hosting and content management services 
		
	
	Before the award of the PFI contract in 1999, central records of IT expenditure included only central corporate infrastructure. These records show that total IT spend in millions was:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Amount 
		
		
			 1998–99 12.1 
			 1999–2000 15.0 
			 2000–01 30.0 
			 2001–02 32.0 
			 2002–03 41.0 
			 2003–04 41.9 
		
	
	Further detail is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay Gap

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in her Department.

Jacqui Smith: My Department completed an equal pay review in 2003 and put in place an action plan to address any concerns.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made a written ministerial statement to the House on 10 March 2004, Official Report, column 102 WS, to advise that Action Plans for the DTI and its Agencies had been published and posted on the DTI Website. http://www.dti.gov.uk/about dti documents.html
	Copies of the Action Plans have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Plants

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much her Department spent on (a) indoor bought plants, (b) indoor hired plants, (c) outdoor bought plants and (d) outdoor hired plants in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department does not record details of the costs of plants and we are therefore unable to provide a break down of the costs as required. The Department currently has a mixture of rented and bought plants, indoor and outdoor planting.
	Our records for total plant costs only date back to 2001 and the breakdown of the spend is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Amount 
		
		
			 2001–02 34,659.60 
			 2002–03 30,422.16 
			 2003–04 31,048.97 
			 2004–05 25,165.06

Departmental Refurbishment

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of refurbishments in her Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department undertakes a wide variety of projects as part of on-going maintenance and improvements of its existing buildings. The cost of significant works to the building services and fabric since 1997 are shown by complete financial years as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Amount 
		
		
			 1997–98 2 
			 1998–99 2 
			 1999–2000 2.15 
			 2000–01 1.4 
			 2001–02 4.32 
			 2002–03 1.23 
			 2003–04 2.3 
			 2004–05 7.73 
		
	
	The costs in 2004–05 relate to a major programme of investment in rationalising our London estate which will result in the vacation of three buildings currently costing £8 million per annum. Plans for works during 2005–06 are still being developed and firm estimates are not yet available.

Fuel Poverty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent research her Department has undertaken to ascertain the effect on households in fuel poverty of increases in fuel prices.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 13 December 2004
	Our research suggests that the number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty is likely to rise by a limited amount in 2004 and 2005—perhaps by up to 200,000 vulnerable households in England over this period. This figure represents the combined effects of gas and electricity price increases countered by other measures that we have put in place on incomes and benefits. The assumptions behind this estimate are set out in two DTI publications which accompanied publication of the Fuel Poverty in England: The Government's Plan for Action on November 30. These internet publications are available to view at www. dti.gov.uk/energy/consumers/fuel poverty/index.shtml.
	Any potential increase in the numbers can be set against the very real progress that has been made: the number of households in fuel poverty in the UK has fallen by over three million since 1996, to 2.25 million in 2002 and further reductions are expected in the figure for 2003. In England, there has been a fall from the 1996 figure of 4.3 million households (three million vulnerable) to 1.4 million (1.2 million vulnerable) in 2002. The Government remains committed to achieving its target of seeking an end to the problem of fuel poverty in England in vulnerable households by 2010 as far as is reasonably practicable. .
	Fuel poverty is devolved, and therefore the devolved administrations will be looking at how they each will meet their fuel poverty targets.

Fuel Poverty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect of the recent changes in the cost of fuel oil on the number of households in fuel poverty;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of households which rely on oil based heating systems; and what assessment she has made of the effect on such households of recent changes in the cost of fuel oil.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 13 December 2004
	As fuel poverty is devolved, therefore this answer covers England only.
	My Department has considered the impacts of gas and electricity prices on fuel poverty for England. The results of this analysis were published in the Government's Fuel Poverty Action Plan, and suggests that the number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty is likely to rise by a limited amount in 2004 and 2005, perhaps by up to 200,000 vulnerable households in England over the period. We monitor the number of households in fuel poverty through the English House Condition Survey, with figures for 2003 becoming available in April 2005.
	According to the 2001 English House Condition Survey, around 700,000 (3.3 per cent.) of dwellings in England used oil-fired central heating as their main form of space heating. Of these households, around 150,000 are likely to be vulnerable households in fuel poverty. Estimated heating oil prices for 2004 are around 20 per cent. higher than those in 2001. This will have increased the number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty, who use heating oil. There are a number of uncertainties about exactly how many households will be brought into fuel poverty by changes in the price of heating oil, but it is likely to be significantly less than 50,000 vulnerable households.
	The Government remains committed to achieving its target of seeking an end to the problem of fuel poverty in England in vulnerable households by 2010 as far as is reasonably practicable. Additionally, any potential increase in the numbers can be set against the very real progress that has been made: the number of households in fuel poverty in the UK has fallen by over three million since 1996, to 2.25 million in 2002 and further reductions are expected in 2003.

Office of Gas and Electricity Markets

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what salary is paid to the (a) chair, (b) chief executive and (c) board members of the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets; and how many hours work per week each is expected to undertake.

Mike O'Brien: The chairman of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (the authority), under whose direction the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) operates, receives £90,000 pa for three days work per week. The non-executive members receive £20,000 pa for about three days work a month.
	Executive members of the authority are paid as full-time senior managers of Ofgem and do not receive any additional salary in respect of their appointment to the authority. The chief executive is paid in the range £160-£165,000 and the other executives are paid in the range of £110-£135,000

Public Procurement (EC Rules)

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure EU partners effectively implement EC rules on public procurement.

Patricia Hewitt: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer recently asked Alan Wood of Seimans UK to investigate British business experiences of competing for public contracts in other EU countries.
	His report was published in November 2004 and can be found at http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?docid= 1001521.
	The Government will continue to push for a consistent approach to public procurement across the EU, and to provide assistance where appropriate within EU regulations to ensure British business can compete and win such contracts.

Trade and Industry Conferences

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  which international trade and industry conferences have been attended by members of the Government in the past 12 months; on what occasions Labour Members have attended such conferences as part of the official delegation; and what places she has made available to Opposition parties to attend these conferences as part of the official delegation;
	(2)  whether all the places offered to the Government for delegates to attend international trade and industry conferences during the last 12 months have been filled.

Douglas Alexander: The range and format of international trade and industry conferences is broad. Attendance at such conferences by members of the Government, Labour hon. Members and opposition party members is on the basis of business need and meeting international obligations. The Government does not collate data on the range of trade and industry conferences, the allocation of invitations and the acceptance figures for delegates attending. Full details could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of refurbishments in his Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and as a result the information provided only relates from the years 2002–03 onwards:
	For details on refurbishment costs for 2002–03 and 2003–04, I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 December 2004, Official Report, column l355W, to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow). The forecast outturn for 2004–05 and estimated spend for 2005–06 are set out in the following table but figures are subject to change depending on priorities and budget allocations.
	
		
			 DfT Unit Refurbishment cost outturn 2004–05 (£ million) Refurbishment costs estimated spend 2005–06 (£ million) 
		
		
			 DfT Headquarters 0.460 0.150 
			 Air Accidents Investigation Branch 0 0.025 
			 Driving Standards Agency 0.396 0.200 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 4.211 (33)3.850 
			 Highways Agency 0 0.800 
			 Marine Accident Investigation Branch 0.045 0 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 1.100 0.260 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 0.199 0.400 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 0 0 
			 TOTAL 6.411 5.685 
		
	
	(33) DVLA will be entering into a large PFI contract in 2005–06 which includes services and amongst other items the refurbishment of a large portion of the Morriston estate in Swansea which is estimated to cost approximately £31million. It is not possible at this stage to allocate in which year these costs will be incurred.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Department spent on first-class travel in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: Neither the records kept by the Department for Transport, nor those of its Executive Agencies differentiate between first class and standard class travel. The information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	All travel undertaken by Ministers and civil servants in the Department for Transport complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers, and the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Properties

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise.

Charlotte Atkins: The property details for the Department as at 1 December 2004 are shown in the attached table:
	
		
			 Department for Transport Unit No of Properties Total Floor Space ALA (m(35)) No. Vacant Properties Vacant Floor Space ALA (m(35)) 
		
		
			 Department for Transport HQ 3 19,002 0 0 
			 Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) 1 4,836 0 0 
			 Marine Accidents Investigations Branch (MAIB) 1 820 0 0 
			 Mobility Advice and Information Vehicle Service  (MAVIS) 1 786 0 0 
			 Driving Standards Agency (DSA) 460 43,828 1 185 
			 Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) 55 90,491 1 385 
			 Highways Agency (HA) 546 51,700 76 Not Recorded 
			 Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) 501 41,795 3 552 
			 Vehicle and Operator Service Agency (VOSA) 111 113,500 0 0 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency (VGA) 2 2,160 0 0 
			 Total 1,681 368,918 81 (34)1,122 
		
	
	(34) Does not include HA vacant floor space (unrecorded).
	Notes:
	1. ALA—Agents Letting Area
	2. The figures for HA include 495 residential properties relating to the Targeted
	Programme of Improvement in the strategic road network and floor space data for
	these properties are not held.
	3. The MCA figures include helicopter sites and remote radio sites;
	4. VOSA figures include operational test stations.

Special Advisers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by Civil Service pay grade.

Charlotte Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Honourable Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 21 December 2004 Official Report, column 1640W.

Departmental Credit Cards

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many credit cards for official expenditure are held by her Department.

Alun Michael: There are two forms of credit card held by the Department. One is. the Government Procurement Card which is a Visa purchasing card that operates in the same manner as a normal charge card. It is designed to streamline the purchase and payment processes associated with the purchasing of low value goods and services. The other is the Barclaycard Visa Corporate Card which is a Visa charge card. It has a monthly expenditure limit and an individual transaction limit. It is designed to support Defra staff by providing the vehicle for payment for business expenditure associated with their duties. The number of cards held for official business by Defra is as follows:
	171 Government Procurement Cards
	255 Corporate Credit Cards.

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Alun Michael: E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Defra's guidance on e-mail management emphasises the importance of capturing all significant e-mail messages—this policy has not changed in the past year. Further email guidance is available on the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing emails.pdf

Senior Women

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many women there are in senior positions in her Department.

Alun Michael: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the Civil Service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the Civil Service website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/disability apr04 4nov04.xls
	This shows that 40 women (25.1 per cent.) within the core Department were at Senior Civil Service level.
	The website also holds historic data on this subject.

Special Advisers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by civil service pay-grade.

Alun Michael: Details on the names and number of special advisers by pay band by department are published on annual basis. For information for the financial year 2003–04, I refer the hon. Member to the statement given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 466W.
	Information for 2004–05 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.

Turkey Manure

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the spread of odour from turkey manure.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. member to my earlier replies to her of 15 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1114–15W.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the current budget is for the Waste Implementation Programme; how many people are employed by the Programme; and if she will list the achievements of the qualitative and quantative Programme.

Elliot Morley: Budget 2003 announced that, as part of the reform of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, approximately £84/92/92 million had been allocated to the new Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) in England for the financial years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06. Currently, 80 people are employed by WIP, of which 55 work for the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which is a key delivery agent for significant elements of the programme.
	WIP has been very successful in prioritising close engagement with local authorities and the waste industry to create a stronger understanding of the opportunities and challenges that sustainable waste management presents, and to stimulate the development of essential expertise. Data from the latest Municipal Waste Management Survey shows 14.5 per cent. of household waste was collected for recycling in 2002–03, up from 12.5 per cent. in 2001–02. Taking account of the growing contribution that WIP is making to improved performance by local authorities in meeting their statutory waste targets, the Government believes that the national 2003–04 target of 17 per cent. recycling or composting will now be met.
	Specific achievements of the WIP programme include:
	the allocation of over £100 million in challenge funding to local authorities, paving the way for new investment in recycling infrastructure, and approval of a number of major waste PFI projects capable of exceeding EU Landfill Directive targets;
	the launch of a new £4 million programme of support for the voluntary and community waste sector, including help for the sector to develop meaningful partnerships with local government;
	the successful launch of a pilot scheme for new sustainable waste management technologies for dealing with those wastes which are not readily reduced, reused or recycled (with industry partners to take forward the development of the first phase of pilot plants now clearly identified);
	the award of £1.36 million worth of funding for research focused on new ways to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill under a Technologies Research and Innovation Fund, which is part of WIP's New Technologies programme;
	publication of a new strategy for waste-related research, and the launch of a separate consultation on a 3-year strategy for better data on waste, to plug knowledge gaps across all waste streams;
	provision of extra funding to local authorities for specialist consultancy support—worth approximately £3 million—to help in tackling specific local barriers to improved recycling performance. Nearly 300 authorities will receive support under this scheme;
	the launch of a new national recycling campaign, aimed at raising public awareness about recycling and pushing England's recycling rate to a higher level. WIP is also supporting over 100 local authority campaigns being delivered this year and in 2005, which are focused directly on increasing participation in local recycling facilities;
	ongoing delivery of a comprehensive and responsive programme of centrally co-ordinated support to local authorities that helps them to deliver their targets and other sustainable waste management objectives, including the launch of web-based advice and best practice guidance. Action at a local level is also being delivered through WRAP'S Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team, which provides a free advisory service to support English local authorities in the implementation and improvement of kerbside collection systems;
	delivery of a targeted home composting programme with selected local authority partners;
	the launch of a Waste Minimisation Innovation Fund, aimed at providing support for retailer-led innovation projects. The fund will provide resources (research, pilot programmes, professional services) for projects leading to a reduction in household food and packaging waste originating from the retail sector; and,
	providing increased support for local authorities to deliver around £300 million worth of efficiency gains on waste services mainly by more effective joint working, promoting best practice, and standardisation of procurement operations.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of commercial and industrial waste were produced in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02 and (d) 2002–03; and how much of this was recycled.

Elliot Morley: The last survey of industrial and commercial waste was 1998–99 so no data available for years requested. The Environment Agency have undertaken another and results for 2002–03 will be available early in 2005.

Departmental Credit Cards

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many credit cards for official expenditure are held by her Department.

Derek Twigg: In December 2004, the Department for Education and Skills have 253 purchasing cards in circulation.

Early Interventions/Family Resolutions Projects

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons the Early Interventions project was changed to Family Resolutions; what the differences are between the two; and what the mechanisms for the change were.

Margaret Hodge: The Family Resolutions Pilot Project is designed to test the effectiveness of group work and information and parent planning measures in helping separating or separated parents reach agreement about contact and residence for their children, without needing formal family court proceedings. The Family Resolutions Pilot Project does not replace any other "Early Interventions project". However, its development has been informed by a set of early intervention proposals that were received by the Government in autumn 2003, which had been drawn up by an ad hoc group, chaired by a judge. The Government-led Steering Group, set up to take forward the development and delivery of a pilot project, chose the name of the project, in recognition of the focus of the intervention and the late stage in the separation of the parents at which it would take place.
	The design of the Government's Family Resolutions Pilot Project drew on the experience of a range of similar approaches from other jurisdictions, in particular Florida, but also Scandinavia, California and Canada. However, the Florida early interventions approach differs from the Family Resolutions Pilot Project in that participation is compulsory in the Florida jurisdiction. Participation in the Family Resolutions Pilot Project could only have been made compulsory if there had first been a change in primary legislation. This would also have been necessary if we had wished to replicate the approach of other jurisdictions, in terms of any legal presumption of contact for parents and in terms of any expectation that parents must adhere to a prescribed pattern of contact, drawn from standard templates applied by the court.
	Under the Children Act 1984 the welfare of the child is the court's paramount consideration when determining any question with respect to a child's upbringing. Case law decided under the Children Act 1989 has established that it is generally in a child's best interests to have contact with both of his parents but there is statutory presumption of contract nor does the Children Act provide standard patterns of contact to be prescribed to parents by the court. The Parenting Plans, which we are currently revising, will provide a set of templates which seek to show in practice the sort of contact arrangements that work well for children of different ages and circumstances. These will be available at all points throughout the system—in solicitors' offices as well as through advice and mediation services. They will make clear, in practical terms, arrangements that are generally beneficial for children. They are intended to be used as practical aids, both by parents themselves as well as by solicitors, conciliators and mediators, to assist parents to reach reasonable agreements. They will seek to illustrate what the courts might well decide if the case went to a full hearing. The revised Plans will shortly be published in draft form and will be the subject of consultation. Once published in final form, they will be used in both in-court conciliation services and the Family Resolutions Pilot Project.

Education

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of residents in Ribble Valley and Fulwood have undertaken apprenticeships in each of the last seven years.

Ivan Lewis: Figures for Ribble Valley and Fulwood cannot be provided as information at parliamentary constituency level is not available. The following table shows the number of starts on Apprenticeships in (i) the Lancashire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area between April 2001 and the end of July 2004; and (ii) in the two Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) areas that amalgamated into Lancashire LSC—ELTEC and LAWTEC between April 1997 and March 2001. Figures are expressed in numbers rather then as percentages as population estimates are not available for TEC areas.
	
		
			 Time period 1 TEC/LSC Advanced apprenticeship Apprenticeship at level 2 
		
		
			 April 1997 to ELTEC 1,200 — 
			 March 1998 LAWTEC 1,800 — 
			 
			 April 1998 to ELTEC 1,000 400 
			 March 1999 LAWTEC 1,600 100 
			 
			 April 1999 to ELTEC 800 1,100 
			 March 2000 LAWTEC 1,900 1,800 
			 
			 April 2000 to ELTEC 900 1,300 
			 March 2001 LAWTEC 1,800 2,100 
			 
			 April 2001 to July 2002 Lancashire LSC 1,900 4,100 
			   
			 August 2002 to July 2003 Lancashire LSC 1,700 3,600 
			   
			 August 20003 to July 2004 Lancashire LSC 1,400 3,900 
		
	
	(35) TECs reported the figures in financial years. LSC reports figures in academic years. The first LSC 'year' was 16 months in order to bring the financial year figures into line with academic years.
	Sources:
	TEC Management Information
	LSC Individualised Learner Record

English as a Second Language

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding was made available to schools to teach children who have English as a second language in each year since 1997; and what funding will be made available in each year to 2004.

Stephen Twigg: The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG), an element of the Standards Fund, provides additional support to schools to raise the educational achievement of minority ethnic pupils and to meet the particular needs of pupils whose first language is other than English. EMAG evolved from what was the education element of the Home Office Section 11 Grant which ceased on 31 March 1999. EMAG was introduced by the DfES (then DfEE) in April 1999. The figures for EMAG since April 1999, including local authority matched funding, are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Total allocation (£) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 139,274,586 
			 2000–01 (36)147,241,292 
			 2001–02 153,969,740 
			 2002–03 155,878,916 
			 2003–04 155,892,817 
			 2004–05 162,128,507 
		
	
	(36) with the Traveller element removed
	Note:
	For 2000–01 only, the Traveller Achievement Grant was combined with EMAG. The total allocation of the Traveller element for 2000–01 was £15,700,527 and is not shown in this table.

Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency of her Department's policies since 8 June 2001.

Stephen Twigg: The Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency lies within Middlesbrough local education authority. Available information by constituency, is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at http://www.dfes.gov. uk/inyourarea. Where information is not available at the constituency level it has been provided at local education authority level.
	This website allows users to access key facts and local information about education and skills based on postcodes. The data available within the site offers comparisons between 1997 and the latest available year and covers five geographies. These are parliamentary constituency, ward, local authority district, local education authority, government office region. England figures are also provided.
	The information available within the website is grouped in a number of broad categories including Literacy and Numeracy at age 11, Literacy and Numeracy at age 14, GCSE/GNVQ results, Pupils with Special Educational Needs, School Initiatives, School Workforce, School Funding and Resources, Children's Social Services, Early Years, Class Sizes, Post 16, Higher Education and Adult Education.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, my Department is investigating ways in which we can disseminate more information about the effects of our policies at a local level. The 'In Your Area' website will be further developed over the coming months to include additional information about Adult Education, School Funding, School Initiatives, School Performance, School Workforce and Post 16.

Special Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were educated in special schools in each local education authority in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 20 December 2004
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Special schools(37): Full-time equivalent number of pupils(38)—position in January each year: 1997 and 2004—by local education authority area
		
			   FTE number of pupils 
			   1997 2004 
		
		
			  England 96,720 90,650 
			 
			  North East 6,420 5,800 
			 841 Darlington — 220 
			 913 Durham(39) 1,160 — 
			 840 Durham(40) — 1,070 
			 390 Gateshead 400 390 
			 805 Hartlepool 230 150 
			 806 Middlesbrough 510 420 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 840 580 
			 392 North Tyneside 620 610 
			 929 Northumberland 560 510 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 220 220 
			 393 South Tyneside 420 440 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 560 500 
			 394 Sunderland 880 710 
			  North West 15,740 14,210 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen — 330 
			 890 Blackpool — 290 
			 350 Bolton 500 440 
			 351 Bury 250 220 
			 906 Cheshire(39) 1,780 — 
			 875 Cheshire(40) — 1,150 
			 909 Cumbria 270 430 
			 876 Halton — 350 
			 340 Knowsley 660 520 
			 923 Lancashire(39) 3,040 — 
			 888 Lancashire(40) — 2,220 
			 341 Liverpool 1,620 1,230 
			 352 Manchester 1,430 1,210 
			 353 Oldham 540 430 
			 354 Rochdale 520 510 
			 355 Salford 580 480 
			 343 Sefton 520 450 
			 342 St. Helens 470 360 
			 356 Stockport 680 580 
			 357 Tameside 470 380 
			 358 Trafford 440 460 
			 877 Warrington — 360 
			 359 Wigan 950 800 
			 344 Wirral 1,020 1,020 
			 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 8,570 7,700 
			 370 Barnsley 170 160 
			 380 Bradford 890 890 
			 381 Calderdale 230 250 
			 371 Doncaster 930 630 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 430 400 
			 920 Humberside — — 
			 810 Kingston upon Hull, City of 480 390 
			 382 Kirklees 690 700 
			 383 Leeds 1,160 1,010 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 180 240 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 180 190 
			 927 North Yorkshire(39) — — 
			 815 North Yorkshire(40) 700 690 
			 372 Rotherham 670 690 
			 373 Sheffield 860 810 
			 384 Wakefield 660 420 
			 816 York 360 240 
			 
			  East Midlands 5,890 5,900 
			 831 Derby — 480 
			 910 Derbyshire(39) 1,320 — 
			 830 Derbyshire(40) — 750 
			 856 Leicester — 770 
			 924 Leicestershire(39) 1,210 — 
			 855 Leicestershire(40) — 530 
			 925 Lincolnshire 1,130 1,180 
			 928 Northamptonshire 990 1,000 
			 892 Nottingham — 370 
			 930 Nottinghamshire(39) 1,240 — 
			 891 Nottinghamshire(40) — 810 
			 857 Rutland — 20 
			 
			  West Midlands 12,560 12,130 
			 330 Birmingham 3,060 3,040 
			 331 Coventry 840 830 
			 332 Dudley 700 650 
			 918 Hereford and Worcester(39) 1,430 — 
			 884 Herefordshire — 180 
			 333 Sandwell 800 450 
			 932 Shropshire(39) 650 — 
			 893 Shropshire(40) — 280 
			 334 Solihull 370 360 
			 934 Staffordshire(39) 2,520 — 
			 860 Staffordshire(40) — 2,010 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent — 510 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin — 440 
			 335 Walsall 570 510 
			 937 Warwickshire 1,090 980 
			 336 Wolverhampton 540 640 
			 885 Worcestershire — 1,240 
			  East of England 9,260 8,880 
			 902 Bedfordshire(39) 1,300 — 
			 820 Bedfordshire(40) — 960 
			 905 Cambridgeshire(39) 1,240 — 
			 873 Cambridgeshire(40) — 830 
			 915 Essex(39) 2,850 — 
			 881 Essex(40) — 1,870 
			 919 Hertfordshire 2,110 2,160 
			 821 Luton — 250 
			 926 Norfolk 940 910 
			 874 Peterborough — 350 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea — 470 
			 935 Suffolk 810 840 
			 883 Thurrock — 240 
			 
			  London 12,270 11,770 
			  Inner London 4,900 4,350 
			 202 Camden 310 300 
			 201 City of London 0 0 
			 204 Hackney 470 350 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 330 270 
			 309 Haringey 340 320 
			 206 Islington 270 260 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 60 70 
			 208 Lambeth 620 520 
			 209 Lewisham 530 520 
			 316 Newham 100 70 
			 210 Southwark 420 470 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 510 350 
			 212 Wandsworth 810 720 
			 213 Westminster 120 140 
			 
			  Outer London 7,370 7,410 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 180 210 
			 302 Barnet 310 340 
			 303 Bexley 320 420 
			 304 Brent 440 420 
			 305 Bromley 400 480 
			 306 Croydon 510 560 
			 307 Ealing 530 480 
			 308 Enfield 480 460 
			 203 Greenwich 740 440 
			 310 Harrow 190 270 
			 311 Havering 210 250 
			 312 Hillingdon 620 620 
			 313 Hounslow 400 410 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 230 250 
			 315 Merton 260 240 
			 317 Redbridge 410 440 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 160 140 
			 319 Sutton 270 350 
			 320 Waltham Forest 720 630 
			 
			  South East 17,560 16,950 
			 903 Berkshire(39) 1,870 — 
			 867 Bracknell Forest — 170 
			 846 Brighton and Hove — 810 
			 904 Buckinghamshire(39) 1,730 — 
			 825 Buckinghamshire(40) — 1,060 
			 914 East Sussex(39) 1,800 — 
			 845 East Sussex(40) — 1,080 
			 917 Hampshire(39) 3,560 — 
			 850 Hampshire(40) — 2,400 
			 921 Isle of Wight 360 280 
			 922 Kent(39) 3,420 — 
			 886 Kent(40) — 3,030 
			 887 Medway — 460 
			 826 Milton Keynes — 560 
			 931 Oxfordshire 1,000 930 
			 851 Portsmouth — 430 
			 870 Reading — 190 
			 871 Slough — 250 
			 852 Southampton — 350 
			 936 Surrey 2,440 2,430 
			 869 West Berkshire — 550 
			 938 West Sussex 1,390 1,460 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead — 190 
			 872 Wokingham — 310 
			  South West 8,450 7,300 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 330 300 
			 837 Bournemouth — 210 
			 801 Bristol, City of 870 680 
			 908 Cornwall 360 450 
			 911 Devon(39) 2,210 — 
			 878 Devon(40) — 970 
			 912 Dorset(39) 1,150 — 
			 835 Dorset(40) — 550 
			 916 Gloucestershire 1,350 990 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 0 0 
			 802 North Somerset 270 250 
			 879 Plymouth — 620 
			 836 Poole — 340 
			 933 Somerset 680 470 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 390 290 
			 866 Swindon — 390 
			 880 Torbay — 310 
			 939 Wiltshire(39) 850 — 
			 865 Wiltshire(40) — 480 
		
	
	(37) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	(38) Excludes dually registered pupils. For the purpose of calculating the full time equivalent of pupils, part-time pupils are counted as 0.5.
	(39) Before local government reorganisation.
	(40) After local government reorganisation.
	Note:
	Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Surplus School Places

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of surplus (a) primary and (b) secondary school places there are in each local education authority.

Stephen Twigg: The following table shows the number of surplus school places and the surplus as a percentage of total places at primary and secondary level, broken down by local education authority. The figures state the position at the beginning of the calendar year 2003.
	
		Number of surplus school places by LEA at January 2003
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			 LEA name Number of places Surplus as a percentage of total places Number of places Surplus as a percentage of total places 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,342 8 604 5 
			 Barnet 2,520 10 960 4 
			 Barnsley 1,175 6 805 6 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 1,520 11 843 6 
			 Bedfordshire 3,265 12 3,060 8 
			 Bexley 1,779 8 812 4 
			 Birmingham 7,162 7 2,998 4 
			 Blackburn 1,048 7 795 8 
			 Blackpool 719 6 335 4 
			 Bolton 1,690 7 373 2 
			 Bournemouth 1,182 10 490 5 
			 Bracknell Forest 972 10 895 13 
			 Bradford 7,150 14 2,992 8 
			 Brent 2,950 13 1,185 7 
			 Brighton and Hove 1,790 10 889 7 
			 Bristol 3,880 13 2,039 11 
			 Bromley 1,559 6 480 2 
			 Buckinghamshire 4,332 10 1,257 4 
			 Bury 1,102 7 253 2 
			 Calderdale 1,891 10 497 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,819 12 3,236 9 
			 Camden 1,077 10 84 1 
			 Cheshire 7,505 12 2,837 6 
			 Cornwall 4,154 10 1,376 4 
			 Corporation of London 6 3 0 0 
			 Coventry 2,935 10 1,542 7 
			 Croydon 2,414 8 1,923 10 
			 Cumbria 3,450 8 4,207 11 
			 Darlington 849 9 548 8 
			 Derby City of 2,356 10 755 5 
			 Derbyshire 6,504 10 3,117 6 
			 Devon 5,291 9 1,523 4 
			 Doncaster 3,152 14 1,712 7 
			 Dorset 3,185 11 1,731 5 
			 Dudley 2,687 9 595 3 
			 Durham 8,552 18 4,079 11 
			 Ealing 2,523 10 666 4 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 2,606 9 1,011 4 
			 East Sussex 2,791 7 1,670 6 
			 Enfield 995 4 2,326 10 
			 Essex 13,462 11 6,003 6 
			 Gateshead 2,710 15 972 8 
			 Gloucestershire 4,794 10 2,737 6 
			 Greenwich 2,289 11 1,905 12 
			 Hackney 1,947 117 931 11 
			 Halton 1,258 11 383 4 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,254 13 1,369 18 
			 Hampshire 10,414 10 5,001 7 
			 Haringey 1,616 8 698 6 
			 Harrow 2,832 13 283 3 
			 Hartlepool 837 9 629 9 
			 Havering 1,155 6 974 6 
			 Herefordshire 1,421 10 495 5 
			 Hertfordshire 13,231 13 9,832 11 
			 Hillingdon 2,528 11 1,133 6 
			 Hounslow 2,174 11 441 3 
			 Isle of Wight 1,012 12 1,543 11 
			 Isles of Scilly 265 0 0 0 
			 Islington 1,760 12 589 7 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 617 9 202 5 
			 Kent 9,455 8 6,915 7 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 3,913 15 1,070 6 
			 Kingston upon Thames 768 7 619 7 
			 Kirklees 3,948 11 2,989 10 
			 Knowsley 3,595 20 1,768 15 
			 Lambeth 1,826 9 762 10 
			 Lancashire 12,466 12 4,816 6 
			 Leeds 8,487 13 3,647 7 
			 Leicester City 4,20 14 744 4 
			 Leicestershire 5,629 10 1,816 4 
			 Lewisham 2,343 11 711 6 
			 Lincolnshire 6,844 11 3,533 7 
			 Liverpool 5,906 14 2,286 6 
			 Luton 1,756 9 344 3 
			 Manchester 5,690 14 1,614 6 
			 Medway Towns 2,574 10 1,649 8 
			 Merton 2,836 19 870 9 
			 Middlesbrough 2,245 15 797 10 
			 Milton Keynes 3,266 13 1,542 11 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,280 11 1,427 7 
			 Newham 1,729 6 1,326 7 
			 Norfolk 8,197 11 2,939 6 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1,865 12 931 7 
			 North Lincolnshire 1,101 8 1,167 10 
			 North Somerset 782 5 250 2 
			 North Tyneside 2,726 15 826 6 
			 North Yorkshire 6,229 12 3,417 8 
			 Northamptonshire 5,847 10 4,598 8 
			 Northumberland 2,550 13 2,465 8 
			 Nottingham City of 3,940 15 1,540 10 
			 Nottinghamshire 6,121 9 3,670 7 
			 Oldham 2,332 10 888 5 
			 Oxfordshire 6,813 14 2,341 6 
			 Peterborough 2,756 15 1,898 13 
			 Plymouth City of 3,017 13 863 5 
			 Poole 726 6 205 2 
			 Portsmouth 2,384 14 802 7 
			 Reading 1,751 16 854 12 
			 Redbridge 1,091 5 1,245 6 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1,762 13 1,204 11 
			 Richmond upon Thames 732 6 359 5 
			 Rochdale 2,818 13 1,224 8 
			 Rotherham 1,988 8 1,312 6 
			 Rutland 608 19 345 13 
			 Salford 3,097 14 2,154 15 
			 Sandwell 4,096 13 1,917 9 
			 Sefton 3,344 13 874 4 
			 Sheffield 4,587 10 700 2 
			 Shropshire 3,787 15 573 3 
			 Slough 1,564 13 309 4 
			 Solihull 1,162 6 164 1 
			 Somerset 4,936 12 2,550 7 
			 South Gloucestershire 2,942 11 1,462 8 
			 South Tyneside 1,853 13 1,461 12 
			 Southampton 1,776 10 1,478 11 
			 Southend 723 5 638 5 
			 Southwark 2,737 11 686 6 
			 St. Helens 1,402 9 298 2 
			 Staffordshire 8,256 11 2,602 4 
			 Stockport 2,302 9 794 5 
			 Stockton on Tees 1,947 11 839 6 
			 Stoke on Trent 3,663 16 487 3 
			 Suffolk 5,688 11 4,957 8 
			 Sunderland 3,844 14 2,146 10 
			 Surrey 8,501 10 3,706 6 
			 Sutton 915 6 598 4 
			 Swindon 2,146 11 877 7 
			 Tameside 1,824 9 808 5 
			 Telford and the Wrekin 1,542 10 854 8 
			 Thurrock 2,271 15 760 9 
			 Torbay 807 8 145 2 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,013 9 1,424 9 
			 Trafford 1,187 6 993 6 
			 Wakefield 3,846 12 614 3 
			 Walsall 3,334 12 998 4 
			 Waltham Forest 1,272 6 980 7 
			 Wandsworth 2,025 12 679 6 
			 Warrington 1,857 10 395 3 
			 Warwickshire 4,263 10 2,652 7 
			 West Berkshire 1,328 10 330 3 
			 West Sussex 7,348 11 3,804 8 
			 Westminster 1,122 11 840 9 
			 Wigan 2,676 9 1,441 7 
			 Wiltshire 6,877 16 3,974 12 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 670 8 524 5 
			 Wirral 3,735 13 1,472 6 
			 Wokingham 1,304 10 316 3 
			 Wolverhampton 3,436 14 1,713 9 
			 Worcestershire 4,616 11 2,589 6 
			 York 2,455 16 608 6 
			 Total 482,078 11 231,391 7

Teachers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the gender ratio of registered teachers in maintained (a) primary and (b) secondary schools is, broken down into age categories of (i) less than 24, (ii) 25 to 34, (iii) 35 to 44, (iv) 45 to 54 and (v) greater than 55 years;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of teachers employed in maintained schools were aged (a) under 24, (b) 24 to 34, (c) 35 to 44, (d) 45 to 54 and (e) over 55 years on the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: The data requested are shown in the following table. The table shows full-time teachers in service in March 2003 1 , the most recent date for which data are available.
	1 Provisional figures.
	
		All schools: full-time regular qualified teachers(41)
		
			  Nursery and primary Secondary 
			  Percentage Ratio Percentage Ratio Total 
			 Aged Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Number (thousands) Percentage 
		
		
			 Less than 24 8 92 1 11.5 27 73 1 2.6 17.5 5 
			 25 to 34 14 86 1 6.4 38 62 1 1.7 101.8 28 
			 35 to 44 19 81 1 4.3 48 52 1 1.1 76.7 21 
			 45 to 54 16 84 1 5.2 48 52 1 1.1 132.4 36 
			 Greater than 55 18 82 1 4.5 52 48 1 0.9 36.8 10 
		
	
	(41) Includes heads, deputy heads, assistant heads, classroom, AST, post threshold and grade unknown.
	Source:
	Database of Teacher Records

Young Families (Funding)

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much expenditure has been allocated to families with children aged 0 to five years in each year from 1997 to 2008;
	(2)  when she will reply to the question from the right hon. Member for Birkenhead tabled on 25 November, reference 199715.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Details of the annual expenditure since 1997 on Sure Start, childcare and nursery education are published in Table 2.2 of the annual Department for Education and Skills' Departmental Report, as follows. To reflect the increasing integration of services for young children and families, from 2003–04 funding for childcare and nursery education was merged into Sure Start.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Sure start Childcare Nursery education Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 n/a 4 637 641 
			 1998–99 n/a 45 134 179 
			 1999–2000 7 56 150 213 
			 2000–01 56 65 247 368 
			 2001–02 134 109 224 467 
			 2002–03 216 158 306 680 
			 2003–04 745 — — 745 
		
	
	Note:
	The scale of spending identified in 1997–98 was due to a major injection of Nursery Education Grant funding to support the establishment of substantial free provision in the private and voluntary sectors.
	In addition, from April 2003 all financial support for the delivery of free nursery education was consolidated within the under fives sub-block of each local authority's Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)—the main source of education funding. Prior to that, provision in the private, voluntary and independent sectors and new places in the maintained sector, were funded through a separate, ring-fenced, nursery education grant, while existing places in the maintained sector were funded through the Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs). Support for free nursery education since 1997 as part of SSA and EFSS was as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 562 
			 1998–99 1,170 
			 1999–2000 1,280 
			 2000–01 1,340 
			 2001–02 1,490 
			 2002–03 1,620 
			 2003–04 2,600 
		
	
	Following the substantially increased support announced in the Spending Review 2004 and the pre-Budget report 2004, allocations for the Sure Start operational budget for the current financial year, and the next Spending Review period, are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year £ million 
		
		
			 2004–05 866 
			 2005–06 1,144 
			 2006–07 1,671 
			 2007–08 1,784 
		
	
	As a result, Sure Start resources will more than double over the four year period, a rise in average annual real terms of 24 per cent.
	The allocation includes extensive support to local authorities to help establish our network of children's centres, delivering a wide range of early learning, childcare, health and family support. There will be 2,500 centres by 2008, and 3,500, one in every community, by 2010.
	These totals take no account of the significant increases in Government funding on child benefit, parental leave and tax credit support, all of which support families with children.

Departmental Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability;
	(2)  how many women there are in senior positions in his Department.

Yvette Cooper: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments and on the number of staff who have a declared disability.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library of the House and on the civil service website at the following addresses.
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04.xls
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/disability apr04 4nov04.xls

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act.
	E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Further e-mail guidance is available on the National Archives web site at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing e-mails.pdf.
	This policy is regularly reviewed to ensure that the amount of e-mail kept locally by staff remains within the e-mail system quota in force at the time to ensure efficient running of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's IT infrastructure.

Fire Control Rooms

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation has been undertaken of the technology to be used in emergency fire control rooms; and what its anticipated cost is per room.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is undertaking a major procurement under the EU's negotiated procedure to provide modern, high quality technology, including integrated command and communications systems mobilising and resource management system, Graphical Information Systems (GIS) and gazetteer, and an automatic vehicle location system, for each Regional Control Centres (RCC). The most advanced systems in existing fire and rescue control rooms have formed the basis for the requirements. We are taking the best features of these and other systems and putting them together to create a complete solution for the benefit of all fire and rescue services. Information on expected costs is included in the draft outline business case, available on the FiReControl website at http://www.firecontrol.odpm. gov.uk.

Homeless People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless people in Coventry sought help from Coventry city council in the last year for which figures are available; and how many homeless people are accommodated by Coventry city council.

Keith Hill: Information collected about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is in respect of households, rather than persons. The total number of decisions made in respect of applications during 2004, and the number of homeless households in accommodation arranged by Coventry city council at the end of each quarter, is listed in the following table.
	
		Coventry city council
		
			  Decisions Households in accommodation(43) arranged by local authorities, at end of the quarter 
			  made on homelessness applications(42)  All households All households Of which: those with or expecting dependent children 
		
		
			 January-March 2004 551 16 5 
			 April-June 2004 451 17 11 
			 July-September 2004 401 6 3 
		
	
	(42) Households applying for assistance in obtaining accommodation where the authority had reason to believe the applicant was homeless, or threatened with homelessness under legislation.
	(43) Households in accommodation arranged by Coventry city council under homelessness legislation.
	Source:
	ODPM PIE homelessness returns (quarterly)
	In each quarter, bed and breakfast accommodation was predominantly used, with just two households in hostels.
	Coventry city council reported six persons who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless—following a single night's street count in March 2004.
	After being accepted as homeless, a household will be placed in some form of accommodation. They may be placed in temporary accommodation, until a settled solution becomes available, or they may be given a settled solution straight away depending on the accommodation available to the local authority. As an alternative to temporary accommodation an authority may arrange for a household to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	Some of the households in temporary accommodation were being accommodated pending completion of enquiries into their application, or awaiting the outcome of an local authority review/county court appeal against the authority's decision, or had been found intentionally homeless and subsequently were being accommodated for a reasonable period as permitted under legislation. The latest quarterly Statistical Release on statutory homelessness, published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 13 December, presents analyses up to the end of the third quarter of 2004. Information on decisions, and households in temporary accommodation, at local authority level is contained in an associated Supplementary Table. These have been made available in the Library of the House, and via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.

Homeless People

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the support services offered by his Department to help homeless people find housing;
	(2)  whether the Government plans to give extra funding for services to and support for homeless people;
	(3)  how his Department provides access to accommodation for homeless people;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the consistency of provision for the homeless across England.

Yvette Cooper: The Government is committed to tackling homelessness and has successfully tackled the worst manifestations of homelessness—rough sleeping and the long term use of B and B hotels for homeless families with children. We have invested £260 million over three years to 2005–06. This is helping local authorities and voluntary sector agencies to deliver front-line services and take forward initiatives to develop effective preventive measures.
	Other investments include £150 million revenue and capital funding to support local authorities implement their homelessness strategies and to take forward a new hostel improvement programme that will help to improve and re-design front-line services to help rough sleepers away from the streets; £1.716 billion for Supporting People for 2005–06, with a further £1.7 billion for 2006–07 and £1.7 billion for 2007–08 and an increase in the supply of new social housing by 50 per cent. by 2008 which together with support for homelessness prevention initiatives will turn around the growth in homelessness by 2008.
	The Homelessness and Housing Support Directorate within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister works closely with local authorities and voluntary sector agencies (including housing associations), providing them with technical and financial support.
	In relation to accessing housing, local housing authorities have a statutory obligation to ensure that suitable accommodation is available for applicants who are eligible for assistance, have become homeless through no fault of their own, and who fall within a priority need group (this is the 'main homelessness duty'). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has strengthened the statutory protection available to people who become homeless through the Homelessness Act 2002 and widened the categories of vulnerable people in priority need, who authorities must help. In addition, under the 1996 Housing Act local authorities are required to give reasonable preference for certain groups of people when framing their allocations policy. This includes people who are homeless.
	Applicants who do not have priority need or who have made themselves homeless intentionally must be assisted by the local authority with any efforts they make to secure accommodation for themselves. Applicants can also seek advice from their local housing advice centre or Citizen's Advice Bureau.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister funds the National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS). NHAS has been supported by Government since it was established in 1990. It is a partnership between Shelter and Citizen's Advice (formerly NACAB) to ensure that everyone has access to good quality advice on homelessness and related issues through their local Citizens Advice Bureau—more recently this has also been extended to some independent advice centres.
	The Homelessness Act 2002 required every local authority to have a strategy in place by July 2003 to ensure that accommodation and support are available for homeless households and those at risk of homelessness.
	In November 2004, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published an evaluation of 'Local Authorities' Homelessness Strategies'. It was carried out by Housing Quality Network Services (HQNS) between February and July 2004, on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	The evaluation reports a positive response to the process of producing and adopting these reviews and strategies. The full report and the summary can be obtained via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm control/documents/contentservertemplate/odpm index.hcst?n=5500&l=3

House Prices (Dagenham)

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average house price is in Dagenham; and what it was (a) five and (b) 10 years ago.

Nick Raynsford: House price data at a local authority level are only available from 1996. The following table shows the average price in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham in the third quarter of 1996 (eight years ago), the third quarter of 1999 (five years ago) and the third quarter of 2004.
	
		
			 Period Average price (£) 
		
		
			 Q3 1996 52,279 
			 Q3 1999 69,831 
			 Q3 2004 (44)169,239 
		
	
	(44) Provisional.
	Source:
	HM Land Registry

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member on 10 November 2003, Official Report, column 163W.
	All travel by special advisers is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code

Swale Local Plan

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the numbers of additional (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) firefighters, (d) police, (e) teachers and (f) other public sector workers that will be required following the building of the additional homes in Swale's local plan; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment has been carried out of the requirement for additional (a) water, (b) electricity and (c) other infrastructure that will be required for the new homes to be built in Swale under the local plan; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much money has been allocated for the infrastructure plan for Swale's local plan;
	(4)  when the infrastructure plan to accompany the new houses to be built for Swale's local plan will be announced.

Keith Hill: The Second Deposit Draft Swale Local Plan Review is expected in July 2005. Following the statutory consultation period, a local public inquiry will be held into any objections received on the plan. The public local inquiry is likely to take place in the first half of 2006.
	The extent and cost of additional service provision and infrastructure required to meet the provisions of the plan, can only be established by the authorities responsible for service and infrastructure provision, who need to work closely with the local planning authority during the plan preparation process. Once the plan is finalized and the extent and distribution of additional development is determined, the requirements feed into infrastructure and service plans and budgets. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister cannot therefore put meaningful figures and dates on these requirements at this time.
	I can, however, assure the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, that it is the policy of this Government to ensure that future development is plan led and as such is served by services and infrastructure.

Asbestos

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 14 December to Question reference 204664, which of the secondary schools identified in each Education and Library Board area as having asbestos have (a) white and (b) blue asbestos.

Barry Gardiner: I will write to the hon. Lady as soon as possible.

Asbestos

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which primary schools in each education and library board area identified as having asbestos have (a) white asbestos and (b) blue asbestos.

Barry Gardiner: I will write to the hon. Lady as soon as possible.

Autumn Performance Report

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much it cost to (a) produce and (b) distribute the Northern Ireland Office Autumn Performance Report 2004; and how many copies were distributed.

Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office 2004 Autumn Performance Report was printed by The Stationery Office (TSO). Costs of printing and publication are met directly by TSO and do not fall to Government. The NIO is invoiced only for the 190 copies it requested. An additional cost was incurred this year on design and artwork on the report prior to printing. Overall the cost to the NIO of producing the Autumn Performance Report 2004 was slightly over £5,000.
	To date the NIO has distributed around 160 copies to a range of Government agencies and public representatives, including the Northern Ireland Members of Parliament, HM Treasury and Northern Ireland select committees. Distribution is almost entirely carried out by the government messenger service: details of the cost would be disproportionately expensive to obtain, but it is believed to be minimal. The Stationery Office has its own distribution arrangements.

Death Statistics

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people died in the Province in each of the last 10 years as a result of being cold.

Ian Pearson: Numbers of cold-related deaths are not available, as cold is not recorded as a cause of death in itself. For the period 1994 to 2003 the annual number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate is presented in the following table.
	
		Number of deaths registered with a mention of hypothermia(45), Northern Ireland, 1994 to 2003
		
			  Deaths with hypothermia mentioned 
		
		
			 1994 21 
			 1995 14 
			 1996 16 
			 1997 22 
			 1998 22 
			 1999 12 
			 2000 12 
			 2001 16 
			 2002 14 
			 2003 8 
		
	
	(45) Deaths with a mention of hypothermia defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 991.6 for the years 1994 to 2000 and, for the years 2001 to 2003, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T68.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions.

Paul Murphy: The running costs of the Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones and (e) mobile telephones are provided in the following table.
	We are unable to provide the running costs for (f) televisions as they are captured under the general cost codes "audio visual equipment" and "office equipment". It would be difficult to determine which costs related to televisions only.
	
		
			 £ 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 1 
		
		
			 Electricity 400,073 347,847 401,757 321,005 348,443 386,868 408,424 267,282 
			 Water 3,048 2,940 4,779 5,053 3,823 5,166 2,818 2,140 
			 Gas 4,909 4,714 4,542 3,242 24,752 37,712 49,469 29,623 
			 Telephones 383,867 396,681 531,362 462,080 436,438 751,560 846,335 567,950 
			 Mobile telephones 87,591 105,293 94,346 96,782 25,869 40,872 48,607 38,322 
			 Total 879,488 857,475 1,036,786 888,161 839,325 1,222,178 1,355,654 905,317 
		
	
	(46) Up to December 2004

E-mails

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's policy regarding the retention of e-mails in electronic form (a) after and (b) up to 1 January 2005; and what instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005.

Ian Pearson: The policy across Northern Ireland Departments is to print and file any e-mails that form part of the official record. Retention and deletion of e-mails in their printed format is managed in accordance with the Public Records Act (NI) 1923 and guidelines contained in the Northern Ireland Records Management Standard (NIRMS) 2001. Retention and deletion of e-mails in their electronic form is covered by departmental housekeeping policies and procedures which do not differentiate between the periods prior and post 1 January 2005. No specific instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005.
	The Northern Ireland Office has an Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) in place and saving of records to the system is in line with guidelines set out in its Information Management Policy. All e-mails in relation to making policy and information needed for business reasons are saved in the EDRMS and retained for as long as stated in retention schedules.

Energy Efficiency

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the role of (a) fuel cost reduction and (b) income maximization in energy efficiency.

Barry Gardiner: Energy efficiency is a key element of the Government's national Climate Change Programme and also offers opportunities to reduce energy costs through more sustainable consumption. Reducing energy costs through greater energy efficiency is a priority in order to enhance industrial competitiveness and alleviate fuel poverty in Northern Ireland.
	During 2003–04 £3.9 million raised through the Energy Efficiency Levy was invested in the domestic sector and captured around £17 million of potential customer lifetime savings. This is equivalent to £4.40 saved for every £1 invested.
	In the same period energy efficiency audits completed within the industrial and commercial sector identified the potential for £28 million of investment in energy efficiency to secure around £190 million of lifetime savings. The Carbon Trust is continuing to work with businesses in Northern Ireland to leverage the required investment which will help significantly reduce their fuel costs. The trust has been given an additional £1.6 million this year to increase activity in this important area.
	Other organisations including the Energy Saving Trust and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive continue to promote and encourage energy saving measures across the public and domestic sectors.

Genito-Urinary Medicine

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of patients waiting for genito-urinary assessment in the Province; and what the average waiting time from referral is.

Angela Smith: Currently there are Genito-urinary Medicine (GUM) Clinics at four sites in Northern Ireland, the Royal Victoria, Causeway, Daisy Hill and Altnagelvin hospitals. Information obtained from each of the hospitals is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Hospital name Number of patients awaiting assessment at 30 September 2004 Average waiting time for assessment (weeks) 
		
		
			 Royal Victoria hospital (47)600 to 700 (48)3 
			 Daisy Hill hospital 0 3 
			 Causeway hospital(49) 0 — 
			 Altnagelvin Area hospital(50) (51)— 6 
		
	
	(47) Approximately.
	(48) Non-urgent cases.
	(49) The GUM clinic at Causeway hospital is a 'Walk-In' clinic, where patients attend by self-referral. Therefore a waiting list does not exist for this service.
	(50) Altnagelvin Area hospital were unable to provide the number of patients waiting as it does not collect this data.
	(51) Not available.
	Source:
	HPSS Trusts

GP Attendances

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of GP attendances per capita in Northern Ireland (a) in the most recent year for which figures are available and (b) (i) five, (ii) 10, (iii) 15 and (iv) 20 years previously.

Angela Smith: The information as requested is given in the table.
	
		General Practitioner consultations in NI per capita for selected years
		
			 Financial year Consultations per Capita 
		
		
			 2003–04 4.5 
			 1998–99 3.9 
			 1993–94 (52)— 
			 1988–89 2.4 
			 1983–84 (53)— 
		
	
	(52) Data not available from the archived database for this year or for the years either side
	(53) Comparable data not available due to different question wording on survey
	Source:
	NI Continuous Household Survey and Civilian Mid-year Estimate

Health and Personal Social Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of health and personal social services spending in the Province staff salaries accounted for in each of the last five years; and if he will estimate the corresponding percentage for 2005–06.

Angela Smith: The information requested is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Year ended 31 March Salaries and wages as a percentage of HPSS Spending(54) 
		
		
			 1999 65.1 
			 2000 66.3 
			 2001 64.3 
			 2002 64.7 
			 2003 61.9 
		
	
	(54) In order to make the figures comparable, expenditure prior to the year ended March 2003 incorporates the resources which were used by GP Fundholders to commission services.
	The corresponding percentage for 2005–06 has been estimated at 60–65 per cent.

Health Trusts

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints were received by each health trust in the Province during the year ended September 2004.

Angela Smith: The following table presents information on the total number of complaints received by each Health and Social Services Trust in the year ending September 2004. The Trusts are categorised according to whether they are hospital Trusts, community Trusts, mixed (hospital and community) Trusts, or other Trusts.
	
		Number of complaints received by each Health and Social Services Trust in the year ending September 2004, bycategory of Trust 1
		
			  Health and Social Services Trust Total number of complaints 
		
		
			 Belfast City hospital 181 
			 Green Park 188 
			 Mater Infirmorum 109 
			 Royal Group of hospitals 519 
			 United hospitals 294 
			 Craigavon Area Group 227 
			 Altnagelvin Group 208 
			 Hospital Trusts (Total) 1,726 
			   
			 North and West Belfast 108 
			 South and East Belfast 267 
			 Homefirst 316 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 116 
			 Foyle 87 
			 Community Trusts (Total) 894 
			   
			 Down Lisburn 295 
			 Ulster Community and hospitals 362 
			 Causeway 494 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 72 
			 Newry and Mourne 144 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 61 
			 Mixed Trusts (Total) 1,428 
			   
			 Northern Ireland Ambulance Service 133 
			 Other Trusts (Total) 133 
			   
			 Northern Ireland Total 4,181 
		
	
	(55) Data is provisional and may be subject to change.
	Note:
	Community Trusts may provide services in non-acute hospitals, as well as services outside hospital.

Mental Health

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on child and adolescent mental health services in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The available information is detailed in the following table:
	
		Expenditure on child and adolescent psychiatry in hospital 1
		
			 Year ended 31 March £000 
		
		
			 1999 2,152 
			 2000 2,263 
			 2001 2,553 
			 2002 2,890 
			 2003 2,982 
		
	
	(56) This summarises the annual expenditure on the consultant led child and adolescent psychiatry specialty in hospital. Expenditure on child and adolescent mental health services provided in a community and personal social services setting is not centrally available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

National Lottery Funding

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much National Lottery funding has been spent on developing sport in (a) schools and (b) the community in Northern Ireland in each year since its introduction.

Angela Smith: The following table lists how much National Lottery funding has been spent on developing sport in (a) schools and (b) the community in each year since its introduction.
	
		
			   £ 
			 As at 1 April-31 March Schools Community 
		
		
			 1995–96 — 335,536 
			 1996–97 15,320 1,332,371 
			 1997–98 — 4,346,466 
			 1998–99 73,546 8,099,608 
			 1999–2000 3,523 7,224,823 
			 2000–001 32,580 9,753,528 
			 2001–02 317,036 6,477,688 
			 2002–03 438,014 6,683,395 
			 2003–04 616,564 4,483,046 
			 2004-Dec 2004 1,589,362 4,742,078

Newspapers/Periodicals

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals taken by his Department in each year since 1997; and how much the Department spent on each in each year.

Ian Pearson: The question cannot be answered in its entirety as there is no central record held of newspapers and periodicals taken back to 1997 nor is it possible to separately identify the cost under each category except at disproportionate cost. List A lists Newspapers and periodicals taken in the current year and Table B itemises the cost of Newspapers and periodicals since 1997.
	This answer relates only to the Northern Ireland office and does not include information in respect of the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration.
	Newspapers and Periodicals
	List A: Daily Newspapers
	Newsletter
	Daily Express
	Irish News
	Belfast Telegraph
	Daily Telegraph
	Daily Star
	Financial Times
	The Times
	The Guardian
	Daily Mail
	Irish Independent
	Irish Times
	The Independent
	The Sun
	Daily Mirror
	Sunday and Weekly Newspapers and Periodicals
	Ulster Star
	Sunday Times
	Sunday Independent
	Sunday Observer
	The Mail on Sunday
	Sunday Express
	Independent on Sunday
	Sunday Telegraph
	Sunday Mirror
	Ireland on Sunday
	Sunday World
	Sunday Life
	Sunday Tribune
	Western Mail
	Irish Post
	The Observer
	Evening Standard
	An Phoblacht
	Carrickfergus Advertiser
	Antrim Guardian
	Ulster Gazette
	Ballymena Guardian
	Dromore Leader
	Portadown Times
	Windows & Net
	Exchange & Outlook Administration
	Xchange Administrator
	Country Life
	Ulster Tatler
	Country Homes &Interiors
	House & Gardens
	Irish Country Sports
	Facilities Management
	Economist
	Government Computing
	Computer Weekly
	Harvard Review
	Press Gazette
	New Statesman
	The Spectator
	Private Eye
	Computing
	Phoenix
	Fortnight
	Newtownards Chronicle
	Lurgan Mail
	Ulster Herald
	Lisburn Leader
	Newtownabbey Times
	Derry Journal
	Strabane Chronicle
	Computer Active
	Antrim Times
	Ballymena Times
	Coleraine Times
	Derry News
	Down Democrat
	Dungannon Observer
	Mid Ulster Observer
	Newtownards Spectator
	Co Down Outlook
	Ulster Gazette
	Radio Times
	Sunday People
	News of the World
	Sunday Business Post
	Time
	Andersonstown News
	Newry Democrat
	Ballymoney Times
	Banbridge Chronicle
	County Down Spectator
	Coleraine Chronicle
	Down Recorder
	East Belfast Observer
	Strabane Weekly
	Tyrone Courier
	Tyrone Constitution
	Tyrone Times
	Police Review
	Findings
	Audit commission Publication
	Fermanagh Herald
	Impartial Reporter
	Larne Times
	Mid Ulster Mail
	Mid Ulster Mail (South Derry)
	Newry Reporter
	Armagh Down Observer
	Ballymena Observer
	Derry Sentinel
	Derry People
	
		Table B: Costings for newspapers and publications
		
			  Cost (£) 
		
		
			 2003–04 78,033 
			 2002–03 78,278 
			 2001–02 68,505 
			 2000–01 54,384 
			 1999–2000 58,369 
			 1998–99 64,760 
			 1997–98 57,582

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals have (a) completed and (b) dropped out from training as new police recruits in each year since the Police Service of Northern Ireland was established.

Ian Pearson: I am advised that the following numbers of students either completed, resigned or were dismissed from the training course:
	
		PSNI trainee constables
		
			  Number of students who completed training Number of students who resigned Number of students who were dismissed 
		
		
			 2001 (57)0 1 0 
			 2002 377 6 2 
			 2003 410 8 7 
			 2004(58) 507 16 2 
		
	
	(57) Training commenced for PSNI trainee constables on 4 November 2001
	(58) Up to 16 December 2004

Prescriptions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of prescription items per capita in Northern Ireland (a) in the last year for which figures are available and (b) (i) five, (ii) 10, (iii) 15 and (iv) 20 years previously.

Angela Smith: The information as requested is given in the table.
	
		Prescription items dispensed (59) in NI per capita for selected years
		
			 Calendar year Items per capita 
		
		
			 2003 15.6 
			 1998 13.5 
			 1993 11.5 
			 1988 (60) 9.5 
			 1983 (60) 9.0 
		
	
	(59) Excludes private prescriptions and those dispensed in a hospital setting
	(60) Taken from clerical records
	Source:
	Central Services Agency and Civilian Mid-Year

Sustainable Employment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average success rates have been for placing participants in sustainable employment in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months of the (a) New Deal and (b) work track programme.

Barry Gardiner: The success rates for placing participants in sustainable employment in Northern Ireland during the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 for (a) New Deal and (b) work track programmes are as follows:
	
		Participants moving into sustained employment 1(April 2003 to March 2004)
		
			 Programme Leavers Into sustained employment Percentage 
		
		
			 New Deal for18 to 24-year-olds 8,032 1,807 22 
			 New Deal 25 + 6,946 1,142 16 
			 Work track 2,337 370 16 
		
	
	(61) Participants are considered to have sustained employment if they remain in the same spell of employment for 13 weeks or more

Tuberculosis/Hepatitis C

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of (a) tuberculosis and (b) hepatitis C have been recorded in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The number of cases of (a) tuberculosis and (b) hepatitis C recorded in the Province in each of the last 10 years is detailed in the table.
	
		
			  (a) Tuberculosis (b) Hepatitis C 
		
		
			 2003(62) 57 84 
			 2002 67 75 
			 2001 57 65 
			 2000 57 55 
			 1999 57 46 
			 1998 66 65 
			 1997 70 54 
			 1996 66 55 
			 1995 75 63 
			 1994 81 43 
		
	
	(62) Figure for 2003 relating to tuberculosis is provisional.
	Source:
	Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre

Alcohol-related Crime

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for off-licence alcohol sales to people (a) already under the influence of alcohol and (b) under the age of 18 years in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office Court Proceedings database gives the number of defendants proceeded against in England and Wales, 1994 to 2003, for the offences of: "Selling etc., intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises" (including "wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18") and "permitting drunkenness or riotous conduct on the premise, or selling liquor to a drunken person".
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against for certain offences relating to the sale of alcohol(63), England and Wales 1994 to 2003
		
			 Offence description Statute Year Proceeded against 
		
		
			 Permitting drunkenness or riotous conduct on Licensing Act 1964, Sec 172;Licensing Act (Occasional 1994 14 
			 the premises or selling liquor to a drunken person Permissions)Act 1983, Sec 3 (Sch para 6) 1995 19 
			   1996 8 
			   1997 9 
			   1998 22 
			   1999 13 
			   2000 10 
			   2001 10 
			   2002 7 
			   2003 8 
			 Selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 Licensing Act 1964, Secs 169 A&B; Licensing (Occasional 1994 138 
			 for consumption on the premises(64) Permissions) Act 1983, Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(1) 1995 198 
			   1996 251 
			   1997 215 
			   1998 311 
			   1999 205 
			   2000 132 
			   2001 158 
			   2002 170 
			   2003 616 
		
	
	(63) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(64) Includes "wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18".

Animal Experiments (Testing)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what research has been carried out into the cost to benefit ratio of experimental animal testing for the purposes of household products;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to restrict the most severe forms of experimental animal testing for the purpose of household products;
	(3)  what requirements are placed by his Department on UK companies to justify the experimental testing of animals for the purposes of household products;
	(4)  what action is being taken to limit the number of experimental animal tests carried out for the purposes of developing household products;
	(5)  how many experimental toxicity tests on animals have been carried out in the UK in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The use of animals to test household products is to ensure environmental, workforce and consumer safety. This is one of the purposes for which such use may be licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and is to meet the requirements of national and international regulatory bodies.
	Justification and assessments of applications for licences to undertake such work are on a case-by case basis. Each application has to be approved locally by an ethical review process before being submitted to the Home Office for decision, the whole process being designed to ensure that any animal testing is licensed only after it is deemed to be justified and the related animal suffering minimised.
	A form of cost benefit assessment of each individual programme of work has to be undertaken before the Home Office can consider granting the necessary licence. This means that the likely benefits of the work—in terms of generating data for the purposes of risk assessment—must be balanced against the expected welfare costs to the animals involved. No animal testing is licensed without an expert judgment being made on that basis. More information about the statutory cost benefit assessment used in these and all other cases can be found at Appendix I of Guidance on the Operation of the 1986 Act (HC 321).
	The 1986 Act additionally provides that animal testing can be licensed only if there are no non-animal alternatives and, where animals must be used, their numbers and suffering are to be minimised. This means that any animal testing judged to be necessary must involve the mildest available procedures for the purpose. Where more severe procedures are unavoidable—and it is unlikely procedures of substantial severity would be needed to test household products—they must be replaced by milder methods as soon as they are validated and then accepted by the regulatory bodies concerned. On the same basis, no animal testing can be authorised once non-animal replacements are developed and generally accepted. These constraints are reflected in a standard condition of project licences, compliance with which is monitored by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate.
	The information requested about the number of toxicity test procedures is contained in Table 25 of the annual publication "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 2003", and Table 12 of each annual publication of "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Northern Ireland", copies of which are in the Library.
	I should add more generally that the Government recognises that there are concerns about this issue and are not complacent about it. We have regular discussions with the UK regulators concerned, and take a leading role in Europe in encouraging the development and adoption of alternatives to all forms of animal use in science. In May 2004 we established the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), which will also be working with regulators on the acceptance of alternative methods for regulatory toxicology.

Anne's Gate Property PLC

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the contract period is of the agreement with Anne's Gate Property plc for the redevelopment on the site of the former Department of Environment offices at Marsham street; what the estimated yearly payment from public funds to Anne's Gate Property plc is for the duration of the contract; and what the net present cost of the contract is at current prices.

Charles Clarke: The contract with Anne's Gate Property plc (AGP) for the re-development and operation of 2 Marsham street runs from 26 March 2002 to 2 April 2031, a period of 29 years. Payment will commence when the Home Office takes possession of the building which is planned for 26 January 2005.
	The first estimated full-yearly payment to AGP is at the rate of £32.3 million provided full operational performance is delivered. This payment will be at a reduced rate until the building is fully occupied. It excludes costs of on demand services such as reprographics and official hospitality. The payment increases annually at about 76 per cent. of the rate of inflation. The annual charge was noted by the NAO Report ("PFI the New Headquarters for the Home Office"—HC954 Session 2002–2003 15 July 2003), to be if anything, a better deal then would have been secured through commercial rent and procurement of service.
	The net present cost of the contract was modelled at £311 million at financial close in March 2002. This has not been remodelled to take account of the various changes since then including the revised Treasury guidance on such calculations.

Armed Forces Veterans

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost of providing free passports to (a) all veterans of the armed forces who joined up during the Second World War and (b) all people born on or before VE Day.

Des Browne: The scheme for free passports for all those born on or before 2 September 1929 introduced on 18 October this year will include all veterans of the armed forces who joined up during the Second World War. It is not possible to accurately state how many of those in the scheme were members of the armed forces but current estimates of the cost of this scheme is £5 million (year 1) gradually reducing over time.
	It is estimated that issuing free passports to all those born on or before VE Day would involve in excess of 600,000 passports per year, at current cost levels resulting in a cost of approximately £30 million per year.

Asylum Seekers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated number of asylum seekers residing in each parliamentary constituency is.

Des Browne: Figures for asylum seekers (including dependants) in receipt of MASS accommodation support in each parliamentary constituency as at the end of September 2004 are presented in the following table. Corresponding figures for those not in receipt of MASS support are not available.
	Information on the number of asylum seekers supported by MASS is published quarterly on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Asylum seekers supported in MASS accommodation1,2,3,4by parliamentary constituency and UK Government office region, as at the end of September 2004
		
			 GOR/parliamentary constituency name (69) Number of asylum seekers 
		
		
			 East Midlands  
			 Derby North 135 
			 Derby South 545 
			 Gedling 20 
			 Leicester East 155 
			 Leicester South 225 
			 Leicester West 450 
			 Lincoln 20 
			 Loughborough 15 
			 Northampton North 5 
			 Northampton South * 
			 Nottingham East 710 
			 Nottingham North 60 
			 Nottingham South 365 
			 Rushcliffe 5 
			 South Derbyshire 5 
			 Sub-total 2,715 
			   
			 East of England  
			 Bedford 5 
			 Central Suffolk and North Ipswich * 
			 Epping Forest 15 
			 Ipswich 55 
			 Luton North * 
			 Luton South 10 
			 North West Cambridgeshire 95 
			 Norwich North 60 
			 Norwich South 45 
			 Peterborough 255 
			 Rochford and Southend East 10 
			 Southend West 5 
			 Stevenage * 
			 Sub-total 565 
			   
			 Northern Ireland  
			 Belfast North 15 
			 Belfast South 50 
			 Belfast West 30 
			 East Londonderry * 
			 Newry and Armagh * 
			 Sub-total 100 
			   
			 London  
			 Barking 25 
			 Beckenham 10 
			 Bethnal Green and Bow * 
			 Bexleyheath and Crayford 5 
			 Brent East 5 
			 Brent North 10 
			 Brent South 10 
			 Brentford and Isleworth * 
			 Camberwell and Peckham 10 
			 Chingford and Woodford Green 45 
			 Chipping Barnet 10 
			 Croydon Central 40 
			 Croydon North 25 
			 Croydon South 5 
			 Dagenham 10 
			 Dulwich and West Norwood 10 
			 Ealing North 25 
			 Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush 20 
			 Ealing Southall 25 
			 East Ham 30 
			 Edmonton 100 
			 Eltham * 
			 Enfield North 65 
			 Enfield Southgate 50 
			 Erith and Thamesmead * 
			 Feltham and Heston 10 
			 Finchley and Golders Green 20 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich 5 
			 Hackney North and Stoke Newington 30 
			 Hackney South and Shoreditch 50 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 15 
			 Hampstead and Highgate 10 
			 Harrow East 15 
			 Harrow West 10 
			 Hayes and Harlington 10 
			 Hendon 15 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras 5 
			 Hornsey and Wood Green 95 
			 Ilford North 10 
			 Ilford South 35 
			 Islington North 30 
			 Islington South and Finsbury 40 
			 Kingston and Surbiton 10 
			 Lewisham East 10 
			 Lewisham West 20 
			 Lewisham Deptford 10 
			 Leyton and Wanstead 10 
			 Mitcham and Morden 5 
			 North Southwark and Bermondsey 15 
			 Old Bexley and Sidcup 5 
			 Poplar and Canning Town 15 
			 Regent's Park and North Kensington 15 
			 Richmond Park 5 
			 Streatham 15 
			 Sutton and Cheam 5 
			 Tooting 5 
			 Tottenham 270 
			 Twickenham 5 
			 Upminster 5 
			 Uxbridge 5 
			 Vauxhall 20 
			 Walthamstow 40 
			 West Ham 40 
			 Sub-total 1,475 
			   
			 North East  
			 Darlington 30 
			 Gateshead East and Washington West 75 
			 Hartlepool 30 
			 Houghton and Washington East 120 
			 Jarrow 25 
			 Middlesbrough 595 
			 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 75 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Central 460 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend 470 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne North 155 
			 North Tyneside 150 
			 Redcar 255 
			 South Shields 120 
			 Stockton North 210 
			 Stockton South 180 
			 Sunderland North 130 
			 Sunderland South 240 
			 Tyne Bridge 775 
			 Tynemouth 65 
			 Sub-total 4,165 
			   
			 North West  
			 Altrincham and Sale West 5 
			 Ashton under Lyne 245 
			 Blackburn 235 
			 Bolton North East 225 
			 Bolton South East 400 
			 Bolton West 60 
			 Bootle 55 
			 Burnley 30 
			 Bury North 320 
			 Bury South 120 
			 Cheadle 5 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 10 
			 Denton and Reddish 75 
			 Eccles 140 
			 Hazel Grove 30 
			 Heywood and Middleton 15 
			 Hyndburn * 
			 Leigh 200 
			 Liverpool Garston 10 
			 Liverpool Riverside 340 
			 Liverpool Walton 160 
			 Liverpool Wavertree 350 
			 Liverpool West Derby 70 
			 Makerfield 160 
			 Manchester Central 520 
			 Manchester Blackley 150 
			 Manchester Gorton 450 
			 Manchester Withington 35 
			 Oldham East and Saddleworth 150 
			 Oldham West and Royton 310 
			 Pendle 20 
			 Preston * 
			 Rochdale 410 
			 Rossendale and Darwen 85 
			 Salford 705 
			 Stalybridge and Hyde 45 
			 Stockport 115 
			 Stretford and Urmston 85 
			 Wigan 210 
			 Worsley 105 
			 Wythenshawe and Sale East 65 
			 Sub-total 6,720 
			   
			 Scotland  
			 Glasgow Anniesland 470 
			 Glasgow Baillieston 145 
			 Glasgow Cathcart 270 
			 Glasgow Govan 1,105 
			 Glasgow Kelvin 540 
			 Glasgow Maryhill 180 
			 Glasgow Pollok 255 
			 Glasgow Rutherglen 195 
			 Glasgow Shettleston 380 
			 Glasgow Springburn 2,120 
			 Sub-total 5,665 
			   
			 South East  
			 Brighton Pavilion 35 
			 Dartford 5 
			 Hastings and Rye 215 
			 Hove 40 
			 Medway 5 
			 North East Milton Keynes * 
			 Oxford East 15 
			 Portsmouth North 135 
			 Portsmouth South 255 
			 Slough 10 
			 Southampton Itchen * 
			 Southampton Test * 
			 Sub-total 720 
			   
			 South West  
			 Bristol East 225 
			 Bristol North West 40 
			 Bristol South 25 
			 Bristol West 65 
			 Exeter 30 
			 Gloucester 85 
			 Kingswood 85 
			 North Swindon 40 
			 Plymouth Devonport 50 
			 Plymouth Sutton 340 
			 South Dorset * 
			 South Swindon 75 
			 Sub-total 1,060 
			   
			 Wales  
			 Cardiff Central 405 
			 Cardiff North 60 
			 Cardiff South and Penarth 365 
			 Cardiff West 160 
			 Clwyd South 10 
			 Gower 15 
			 Newport East 170 
			 Newport West 155 
			 Swansea East 570 
			 Swansea West 320 
			 Wrexham 45 
			 Sub-total 2,280 
			   
			 West Midlands  
			 Aldridge-Brownhills 130 
			 Birmingham Edgbaston 200 
			 Birmingham Erdington 185 
			 Birmingham Hall Green 15 
			 Birmingham Hodge Hill 50 
			 Birmingham Ladywood 1,140 
			 Birmingham Northfield 5 
			 Birmingham Perry Barr 365 
			 Birmingham Selly Oak 110 
			 Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath 315 
			 Birmingham Yardley 25 
			 Coventry North East 235 
			 Coventry North West 85 
			 Coventry South 460 
			 Dudley North 265 
			 Dudley South 225 
			 Halesowen and Rowley Regis 110 
			 Meriden 95 
			 Mid Worcestershire 5 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 35 
			 Nuneaton 5 
			 Solihull 5 
			 Stoke-on-Trent Central 380 
			 Stoke-on-Trent North 235 
			 Stoke-on-Trent South 110 
			 Stourbridge 95 
			 Walsall North 135 
			 Walsall South 250 
			 Warley 510 
			 West Bromwich East 160 
			 West Bromwich West 90 
			 Wolverhampton North East 415 
			 Wolverhampton South East 110 
			 Wolverhampton South West 255 
			 Sub-total 6,805 
			   
			 Yorkshire and The Humber  
			 Barnsley Central 320 
			 Barnsley East and Mexborough 80 
			 Barnsley West and Penistone 130 
			 Batley and Spen 15 
			 Bradford North 230 
			 Bradford South 175 
			 Bradford West 790 
			 City of York 5 
			 Colne Valley 170 
			 Dewsbury 105 
			 Don Valley 40 
			 Doncaster Central 855 
			 Doncaster North 70 
			 Great Grimsby 155 
			 Halifax 260 
			 Hemsworth 35 
			 Huddersfield 655 
			 Keighley 5 
			 Kingston upon Hull East 40 
			 Kingston upon Hull North 225 
			 Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle 360 
			 Leeds Central 835 
			 Leeds East 600 
			 Leeds North East 335 
			 Leeds North West 20 
			 Leeds West 260 
			 Morley and Rothwell 5 
			 Normanton 65 
			 Pontefract and Castleford 75 
			 Pudsey * 
			 Rother Valley 25 
			 Rotherham 570 
			 Sheffield Central 660 
			 Sheffield Attercliffe 175 
			 Sheffield Brightside 290 
			 Sheffield Heeley 155 
			 Sheffield Hillsborough 25 
			 Shipley 70 
			 Wakefield 240 
			 Wentworth 80 
			 Sub-total 9,210 
		
	
	(65) Figures have been rounded to nearest 5, with (*) = 1 or 2, and are provisional.
	(66) Asylum seekers that have been allocated NASS accommodation and have been confirmed as having arrived in that accommodation.
	(67) Excludes unaccompanied asylum seeking children supported by local authorities, estimated at around 7,000 in May 2004. Excludes cases that pre-date the establishment of NASS in April 2000, administered under arrangements with local authorities, estimated at up to 16,000 cases in May 2004 (the number of such cases is falling).
	(68) Excludes cases where support has been ceased by the National Asylum Support Service.
	(69) Only those Parliamentary constituencies where NASS dispersed or disbenefitted cases are resident are shown.

Asylum Seekers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people entering England seeking asylum as an unaccompanied minor in each year since 2000 were subsequently deported after their 18th birthday; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 21 December 2004
	The information requested on removals is not available. Although statistics of the removal of failed asylum seekers include young people who entered the UK seeking asylum as unaccompanied minors, they do not separately identify such persons.
	Asylum seekers apply for asylum in the UK rather than specifically in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
	The table shows total number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in the year stated.
	
		Unaccompanied children1,2,3, aged 17 or under, applying for asylum in the UK, 2000 to 2003
		
			  Number of principal applicants 
		
		
			 2000(73) 2,735 
			 2001(73) 3,470 
			 2002(74) 6,200 
			 20035,6 3,180 
		
	
	(70) Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	(71) Unaccompanied at point of arrival, aged (or if no proof) determined to be 17 or under and not known to be joining a relative or guardian in the United Kingdom.
	(72) Figures exclude disputed age cases.
	(73) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices.
	(74) Not comparable with manual counts data prior to 2002.
	(75) Provisional figures.
	Information on asylum applications and removals are published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Biometrics

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use of facial recognition systems by police forces; and what assessment he has made of their impact in (a) securing convictions and (b) reducing crime.

Caroline Flint: The Facial Images National Database (FIND) project currently being undertaken by the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) is aiming to deliver a nationally available "mugshot" database of facial images, linked to the respective PNC records, in 2006. One key element of this project involves providing guidance to police forces on image capture standards in order to ensure that the database is populated with the best possible images.
	Face recognition systems, with current technology, are most effective when used for "one to one" matching, for example to help verify that an individual is who they claim to be. Despite significant advances in the last few years, the technology still has some way to go before it is capable of reliably performing "face in the crowd" type searches against either a large database or a smaller "watch-list".
	Post-event analysis' is an example of a promising area for the use for facial recognition technology. The facial recognition element of the victim-focused work with regards to child abuse images being undertaken by the National Crime Squad is proving very successful in identifying victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse and in identifying links between cases.
	A number of direct law enforcement applications have been implemented, including the London borough of Newham partnership with the Metropolitan Police to provide facial recognition as part of a town centre protection application.
	PITO continues to maintain close links with both industry and academia regarding developments in this field, and are also undertaking a program of work to evaluate the current potential for this technology in a variety of policing applications.

Chid Detention

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that legislation concerning children's interests applies equally to children in prison and children in asylum detention centres, following the recent judgment in Regina (on behalf of the Howard League for Penal Reform) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Paul Goggins: The judgement of the Administrative Court in R (on the application of the Howard League for Penal Reform) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department and Another clarified the law in relation to young people in custody. The court ruled that local authorities continue to have responsibilities towards children who are detained in young offender institutions, subject to the requirements of custody. The Home Office, the Youth Justice Board and the Department for Education and Skills have taken a range of measures to implement that ruling and also to strengthen child protection and safeguarding generally for young people in custody. Most notably, the board is funding the provision of 25 new social worker posts in Young Offender Institutions.
	Although the judgment related specifically to children in young offender institutions, the Government accept that its general principles would apply in the context of children detained under Immigration Act powers. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate is meeting the broad principles set out in the judgment to the extent that it is possible for it to do so in the context of immigration detention and the removal of failed asylum seekers and others.
	The Children Act 2004 places legal protections for young people in custody on a statutory footing. It places a duty on prison governors or directors, and governors or directors of secure training centres, to make arrangements for ensuring that their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Governors or directors of juvenile young offender institutions and secure training centres also become board partners in Local Safeguarding Children's Boards, which will be established to co-ordinate, and ensure the effectiveness of, safeguarding in their children's services authority area.
	The children of asylum seekers and refugees are not excluded from the arrangements in the 2004 Act. The arrangements under sections 10 (co-operation to improve well-being), 11 (arrangements to safeguard and promote welfare) and 13–16 (Local Safeguarding Children Boards) of the Act are intended to cover all children. This includes those seeking asylum or refugees, when they come into contact with the agencies involved in the arrangements or, more generally, through the focus of the section 10 co-operation arrangements on all children.
	Although the statutory duty to promote and safeguard the welfare of children was not placed on the Immigration Service, the IS takes its responsibilities towards children very seriously and fully appreciates the importance of identifying vulnerable children, including those who may be detained with their families. All removal centres that may hold families with children are required to have in place child protection policies and procedures based on a national template and to maintain close ties with local agencies involved in child protection and welfare matters. In addition, while the Immigration Service is not a core member under the duty to co-operate to improve well-being or the duty to establish Local Safeguarding Children Boards, where appropriate the Immigration Service will be involved in these arrangements. This would include those areas in which removal centres holding families with children are located.

Child Abuse

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been convicted of child abuse offences in each of the last five years in England; and what proportion of offenders were (a) men and (b) the parent or step-parent of the child victim in each year.

Paul Goggins: Statistics on the number of offenders convicted of sexual offences involving minors, are provided in the table. The figures also include the proportion of offenders found guilty who were male, aged 18 and over.
	It is not possible to identify the relationship of the offender to the victim, as these data are not collected centrally on the Home Office court proceedings database.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in autumn 2005.
	
		Number of offenders found guilty at all courts, and the percentage of which were males aged 18 and over for sexual offences against minors where the age of the victim is identified by the offence1,2 England 1999 to 2003
		
			  1999 2000 3 
			  Found guilty Percentage that were male aged 18 and over Found guilty Percentage that were male aged 18 and over 
		
		
			 Buggery by a male of a male under 16 49 96 46 98 
			 Buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged 16 or 17 1 100 3 100 
			 Buggery by a male aged 18–20 with a male aged 16 or 17 1 100 — — 
			 Buggery by a male with a female under 16 11 91 12 100 
			 Buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a female aged 16 or 17 — — 1 100 
			 Buggery by a male aged 18–20 with a female aged 16 or 17 1 100 1 100 
			 Indecent assault on male person under 16 years 308 85 275 82 
			 Gross indecency by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged under 18 8 100 11 100 
			 Rape of a female aged under 16 222 94 188 92 
			 Rape of a male aged under 16 32 59 21 67 
			 Attempted rape of a female aged under 16 42 86 29 86 
			 Attempted rape of a male aged under 16 6 50 2 50 
			 Indecent assault on a female under 16 1,376 85 1,201 85 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13 51 75 48 73 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 180 93 197 87 
			 Incest with a girl under 13 13 77 12 83 
			 Inciting girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse 1 100 2 100 
			 Householder permitting unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 — — — — 
			 Person responsible for girl under 16 causing or encouraging her prostitution etc. 1 0 — — 
			 Male aged 21 or over procuring or attempting to procure a male under 18 of gross indecency with another male 3 100 3 100 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under 16 1 100 3 67 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under 18 1 100 — — 
			 Gross indecency with boys aged less than 16 66 89 51 88 
			 Gross indecency with girls aged less than 16 134 95 128 92 
			 Total 2,508 78 2,234 86 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 2002 
			  Found guilty Percentage that were male aged 18 and over Found guilty Percentage that were male aged 18 and over 
		
		
			 Buggery by a male of a male under 16 57 98 49 94 
			 Buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged 16 or 17 — — — — 
			 Buggery by a male aged 18–20 with a male aged 16 or 17 — — — — 
			 Buggery by a male with a female under 16 7 86 9 100 
			 Buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a female aged 16 or 17 1 100 — — 
			 Buggery by a male aged 18–20 with a female aged 16 or 17 — — — — 
			 Indecent assault on male person under 16 years 256 84 281 78 
			 Gross indecency by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged under 18 — — 4 100 
			 Rape of a female aged under 16 168 93 193 96 
			 Rape of a male aged under 16 26 69 30 87 
			 Attempted rape of a female aged under 16 30 87 37 86 
			 Attempted rape of a male aged under 16 5 80 4 100 
			 Indecent assault on a female under 16 1,194 84 1,229 81 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13 49 61 44 68 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 194 87 210 84 
			 Incest with a girl under 13 4 75 10 90 
			 Inciting girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse 3 100 3 67 
			 Householder permitting unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 1 0 — — 
			 Person responsible for girl under 16 causing or encouraging her prostitution etc. — — — — 
			 Male aged 21 or over procuring or attempting to procure a male under 18 of gross indecency with another male 2 100 4 100 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under 16 2 50 3 100 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under 18 — — — — 
			 Gross indecency with boys aged less than 16 73 89 68 87 
			 Gross indecency with girls aged less than 16 154 88 168 90 
			 Total 2,226 85 2,346 83 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 
			  Found guilty Percentage that were male aged 18 and over 
		
		
			 Buggery by a male of a male under 16 40 100 
			 Buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged 16 or 17 — — 
			 Buggery by a male aged 18–20 with a male aged 16 or 17 — — 
			 Buggery by a male with a female under 16 5 100 
			 Buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a female aged 16 or 17 — — 
			 Buggery by a male aged 18–20 with a female aged 16 or 17 — — 
			 Indecent assault on male person under 16 years 247 85 
			 Gross indecency by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged under 18 — — 
			 Rape of a female aged under 16 239 94 
			 Rape of a male aged under 16 26 77 
			 Attempted rape of a female aged under 16 32 88 
			 Attempted rape of a male aged under 16 8 63 
			 Indecent assault on a female under 16 1,137 85 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13 44 61 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 233 90 
			 Incest with a girl under 13 9 56 
			 Inciting girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse 2 50 
			 Householder permitting unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 — — 
			 Person responsible for girl under 16 causing or encouraging her prostitution etc, — — 
			 Male aged 21 or over procuring or attempting to procure a male under 18 of gross indecency with another male — — 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under 16 2 50 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under 18 — — 
			 Gross indecency with boys aged less than 16 79 89 
			 Gross indecency with girls aged less than 16 177 90 
			 Total 2,280 86 
		
	
	(76) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(77) Excludes those offences where the age of a victim cannot be identified in the wording of the offence.
	(78) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000 Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Civil Service

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following is a table of recorded sick leave for staff within the main Home Office Department since 1997:
	
		
			  Days sick 
			  Calendar days Working days Percentage WD lost Staff covered 1 
		
		
			 1997 — 191,812 141,837.82 6.9 9,174 
			 1998 — 189,107 139,837.57 6.7 9,317 
			 1999 — 186,074 137,594.78 6.2 9,812 
			 2000 — 212,102 156,841.52 6.3 11,060 
			 2001 — 222,924 164,843.98 6.6 11,142 
			 2002 — 248,650 183,867.40 6.5 12,607 
			 2003 — 286,259 226,685.29 6.9 14,686 
			 2004 — 92,115 74,226.14 6.6 10,026 
			 2002 Core and IND — 160,357 5.5 — 
			  Core — 32,917 6.0 — 
			  IND — 127,440 4.0 — 
			 2003 Core and IND — 149,216.3 4.1 — 
			  Core — 31,946 4.5 — 
			  IND — 117,270.3 3.2 — 
			 2004 Core and IND — 155,632 4.2 — 
			  Core — 31,043 3.0 — 
			  IND — 124,589 4.1 — 
		
	
	(79) Staff sick in calendar year, sickness begins before end of year, ends after start.
	Notes:
	1. Calendar to working day conversion has been given by applying the ratios found in the earliest available full breakdown (November 2002) to the earlier data. This provides an adjustment for part year workers, and part-time staff. However it assumes that years previous to 2002 had a similar ratio of such staff.
	2. Figures are lower than those for 2002 from archive, in part because of winter sickness November/December 2002 that will have not reached the system at the time this report was run in November.

Correspondence

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he has not yet replied to the letter of 15 November from the hon. Member for Yeovil in relation to an immigration appeal, Home Office reference D1086636; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 15 December 2004
	My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State (Fiona Mactaggart) wrote to the hon. Member on 14 December.

Counterfeit Medicines

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place for counterfeiting prescription-only medicines in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The number of defendants proceeded against in England and Wales 1997 to 2003 for the offence of "Forgery etc. of prescription in respect of scheduled drug" is contained in the following table.
	Number of defendants proceeded against for "Forgery etc. of prescription in respect of a controlled drug" 1 England and Wales 1997 to 2003,
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against for "Forgery etc. of prescription in respect of a controlled drug" 1, England and Wales 1997 to 2003
		
			  Proceeded against 
		
		
			 1997 73 
			 1998 84 
			 1999 102 
			 2000 97 
			 2001 112 
			 2002 94 
			 2003 103 
		
	
	(80) These data are on the principal offence basis.

Court Reports

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any probation areas in England and Wales reported that they had failed to produce court reports within the 15 days work standard because of staff shortages, vacancies or resource issues in the last period for which information is available.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office does not collect data on the reasons for failure to produce court reports. Centrally available data shows that the proportion of court reports provided within 15 days of request in the first half of 2004–05 was 78 per cent. Although this falls short of the 90 per cent. target it is a significant improvement on the 65 per cent. achieved in 2003–04.
	The National Probation Directorate are currently exploring the possibility of introducing a more appropriate target that measures the proportion of reports that meet the timescale set by the courts, which in many cases may be different from the current 15 working days standard.
	Probation staff are employed by the 42 local Probation Boards and staff shortages are a matter for each individual employer. The number of staff working in the National Probation Service has increased from 13,968 in 1997 to 19,237 in March 2004, an increase of over 5,000 extra staff.

CRB Registration

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will list the (a) national governing bodies of sport, (b) county sports associations and (c) sports clubs that have registered as an accredited body with the Criminal Records Bureau;
	(2)  what the total cost is of registering with the Criminal Records Bureau as a registered body; and whether there is a minimum number of checks that must be carried out each year;
	(3)  how many Criminal Records Bureau checks have been carried out through accredited sports bodies since the establishment of the Criminal Records Bureau.

Hazel Blears: All organisations wishing to register with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) must pay a £300 registration fee. Additional Countersignatory applications cost £5 each. There is currently no annual minimum requirement for the number of checks submitted by registered bodies.
	I am unable to provide a definitive list of all national governing bodies of sport, county sports associations and sports clubs that are registered with the CRB. When applying to become registered bodies, all organisations are requested to identify their business sector from a list provided by the CRB. Sports associations are categorised under the leisure services business sector, but not all organisations who are involved in sports activities identify themselves under leisure services. The CRB is therefore unable to identify from the business sector whether registered bodies belong specifically to the groups in question.
	Furthermore, the business sector information is not a mandatory part of the registration process and the CRB is aware that a number of registered bodies have not provided this detail. This also prevents the CRB from providing a complete analysis of the business sector for its registered bodies.
	Many organisations also use the services of umbrella bodies to access the disclosure service and the sporting bodies about whom my hon. Friend is concerned may also be using this route, which again prevents a complete analysis.
	Consequently, the CRB cannot provide the total number of disclosures issued to the sports bodies in question. It is estimated that the leisure industry accounts for about seven per cent of all disclosures issued.

Criminal Justice Intervention Panels

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact the Criminal Justice Intervention panels are expected to have on local criminal justice and drug organisations.

Caroline Flint: The Drug Interventions Programme (formerly CJIP) provides an opportunity for all criminal justice agencies and drug treatment organisations to work together in addressing drug related crime and the associated treatment needs of offenders. Experience to date indicates that the Programme is working as a catalyst to join up services, plug gaps and address with new vigour the problems that drug misuse can cause in our communities.

Criminal Justice Intervention Panels

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change in the number of people accessing drug treatment as a result of Criminal Justice Implementation panel intervention he expects in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005 to 2007.

Caroline Flint: The Drug Interventions Programme (formerly CJIP) is having a positive impact on drug treatment for all drug users and is acting as a catalyst to improve availability, accessibility and quality of treatment.
	In (a) 2004–05: Between April and October 2004 over 7,000 people entered drug treatment through the programme, with 190per cent more people entering treatment in October than in April.
	In (b) 2005 to 2007: We are on track to achieve our ambition of getting 1,000 offenders a week into treatment by 2008 and are currently running ahead of the interim target to get 1,250 offenders per month into treatment by March 2005.
	The numbers accessing treatment via the Drug Interventions Programme do not show the full picture. NTA figures show that 154,000 drug users were in treatment in England in 2003–04.

Cycling

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cyclists have been prosecuted in each year since 1991 for cycling without due care and attention.

Caroline Flint: The information contained in the table gives the number of persons proceeded against for "cycling without due care and attention", England and Wales 1991 to 2003.
	
		Number of persons proceeded against for "cycling without due care and attention" 1 England and Wales 1991 to 2003
		
			  Proceeded against 
		
		
			 1991 89 
			 1992 77 
			 1993 89 
			 1994 100 
			 1995 116 
			 1996 97 
			 1997 127 
			 1998 127 
			 1999 121 
			 2000 94 
			 2001 75 
			 2002 66 
			 2003 77 
		
	
	(81) These data are on the principal offence basis

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years.

Fiona Mactaggart: In relation to the financial year 2002–03 I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office (Douglas Alexander) on 13 November 2003, Official Report, columns 397–98W.
	My hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office has asked Nick Matheson, Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to write to the hon. Member with details of the Ministerial vehicles provided to this Department in 2003–04.
	The recorded cost of using taxi's over the last two years are given in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2002–03 362,905 
			 2003–04 435,416 
		
	
	Travel by taxi is allowed only in the following circumstances:
	for journeys for which there is no other suitable method of public transport, or
	where heavy luggage has to be transported to or from the place of departure or arrival, or
	where the saving of official time is important.

Domestic Violence

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that an appropriate amount of money goes to local women's refuge organisations and other domestic violence support services working with children affected by domestic violence under Section 50 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	Through the Safeguard Children and Supporting Families grants and other funding streams, the Department for Education and Skills provides funding for voluntary organisations, such as women's refuges.
	Furthermore, as part of a package of support for families affected by domestic violence, local authorities can provide funds from the Government's Supporting People programme, to fund housing-related support. Services for children are not funded directly by Supporting People. Supporting People funding does not cover under 16s as they would not be expected to manage their own accommodation. Services for under 16s are provided in satisfaction of a statutory duty and these duties are specifically excluded from Supporting People funding. Other services for under 16s are provided by local authority Social Services departments.
	The funding which local authorities have allocated for domestic violence services from their Supporting People budgets in 2004–05 is £56,964,000. There is no breakdown of specific amounts allocated to children's services as the funds would be directed towards adult family heads.
	It is for local authorities to decide how best to provide support and services for all children in need in its locale, including those children affected by domestic violence. There is no current specific earmarked funding for services of this nature. Instead, Government funding is allocated to Councils with social services responsibilities on the basis of the needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each body's target fair share of available resources. It is, therefore, for Councils, working in partnership with relevant local stakeholders, to determine their spending priorities on the basis of local needs.

Drug Interventions Programme

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Drug Interventions Programme.

Caroline Flint: The Drug Interventions Programme (formerly Criminal Justice Interventions Programme) is a critical part of the Government's national strategy for tackling drugs. The programme aims to make the most of opportunities provided by the criminal justice system to get drug misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment.
	The "intensive" elements of the Drug Interventions Programme are currently operational in 66 police basic command units (47 DATs) with high levels of acquisitive crime. In 2005–06 we will expand the intensive elements of the programme to a further 32 basic command units. These elements include testing for Class A drugs following charge for certain offences and in a number of areas restriction on court bail for those who have tested positive.
	The programme will be enhanced by measures to be included in the Drugs Bill, introduced to Parliament on 16 December 2004.
	Early evidence shows that acquisitive crime is falling faster in Drug Interventions Programme areas than non-programme areas.

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Department continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act
	E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Further e-mail guidance is available on the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing emails.pdf.
	Departmental policies are kept under review and this is the case for all record management policies. There has been no change to policies over the last 12 months. They continue to treat e-mails as one of the many document types containing business information and so they are used as part of the business record accordingly.

Female Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on resources made available by the Government to families looking after the children of women in prison.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	Lone fathers or others with formal care responsibilities for such children can access the full range of provision available to support children's wellbeing, regardless of the reason why the mother is absent from the family. These include universal benefits and services, such as child benefit and Sure Start; discretionary payments such as child tax credit; and targeted social services provision based on individual assessments of the children's needs by the relevant local authority.
	DfES is formally committed to working with the Home Office and NOMS on supporting stable family links between prisoners and their partners and children, as part of the Government's action to reduce re-offending.

Firearms

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many criminal incidents it was reported that firearms had been used in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003; and in how many of those incidents the use of handguns was reported.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The available information is given in the table. Because of changes in reporting and recording practices, the data for the two years are not directly comparable.
	
		Crimes recorded by police in England and Wales in which firearms were reported to have been used
		
			 Financial year Crimes in which firearms were used (including air weapons) Crimes in which handguns were used 
		
		
			 1997–98 12,805 2,636 
			 2003–04(82) 24,094 5,144 
		
	
	(82) Figures are provisional
	Note:
	1. There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998
	2. The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories from this date may have been inflated by this.

HMP Holloway

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female prisoners, held in HM Holloway prison, have (a) attempted suicide and (b) committed suicide in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The reasons why people self-injure is complex, and it is difficult to distinguish between acts of self-harm that were attempts at ending life, and those which occurred for other reasons. It is not possible, therefore, for the Prison Service to determine from recorded incidents of self-harm those acts that could be described as attempts at suicide. The following figures for self-harm include all acts of self-harm, however serious.
	
		HMP Holloway
		
			  Number of self-inflicted deaths(83) Number of recorded incidents of self-harm(84) 
		
		
			 1999 2 122 
			 2000 1 245 
			 2001 1 604 
			 2002 1 907 
			 2003 0 (85)958 
		
	
	(83) The Prison Service employs the term "self-inflicted death' rather than suicide. This includes all those deaths where it appears the person acted intentionally to take his/her own life.
	(84) These figures record the number of incidents of self-harm, not the number of individuals. Some individuals repeatedly self-harm.
	(85) In December 2002, a new form for reporting self-injury (the F213SH) was introduced across the prisons estate in England and Wales, which is known to have improved reporting practices. Please note therefore that much of the increase in reported self-harm in 2003 may result from the change in reporting procedures rather than reflect an actual increase in incidence of self-harm.
	Up to 2 December 2004, there have been two apparently self-inflicted deaths at Holloway; up to the end of September, 725 incidents of self-harm were reported at the establishment.
	The prison population, and the female prison population in particular, includes a large number of individuals with a combination of psychiatric disorders, alcohol and drug dependency, family background and relationship problems, histories of self-harm and previous abuse, all of which raise their risk of suicide and self-harm. A targeted and separate suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy is being developed for women prisoners.
	Holloway has a First Night in Custody Project that focuses on the needs of women at the vulnerable stage of entry into prison. The Project was established in October 2000 and is run by the Prisoner Advice and Care Trust. It employs a full-time project worker and two link workers to help identify women at risk of self-harm or suicide. The project sees over 100 prisoners a month and makes referrals to services in and outside the prison on housing needs, mental health problems, drug or alcohol problems.
	Holloway is also piloting Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, an innovative programme developed for women with "borderline personality disorder" who also self-harm or engage in suicidal behaviours.

Hostels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there has been a review of the Anglia Water contract for hostel facilities.

Paul Goggins: There has been no formal review of the contract, though performance and quality of service levels are routinely assessed and elements are subject to routine audit requirements. The overall programme for in-house and the contracted provision of commercial and approved premises, is subject to the Gateway Review process.

Identity Cards

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which categories of individual will be entitled to pay (a) a reduced fee and (b) no fee for an identity card; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 2 December 2004
	The Identity Cards Bill introduced into Parliament on 29 November includes powers to set different levels of fees for identity cards for different circumstances. The Government has said that groups which may benefit from this flexibility include 16 year olds, those on reduced incomes or those who have been in retirement for some time. The final decision on the fee structure and levels of fees will be for Parliament under the powers in clause 37 of the Bill.

Identity Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the identity card will replace the Application Registration Card.

Des Browne: There are no plans to replace the Application Registration Card (ARC) with the identity card. The ARC and its associated database provides a secure record of a person's claim for asylum and because of the use of biometric information this means that a person cannot make multiple applications using different identities.
	The ARC does not prove identity.
	When the identity cards scheme is operational, a person whose asylum application was approved—and whose identity had therefore been validated—could then be issued with a new biometric residence permit card linked to a record on the National Identity Register. The use of biometric information would ensure that a person could not create one "identity" via the asylum system and another via the identity cards scheme.
	Although there are no plans for the ARC to be a designated document within the terms of the Identity Cards legislation, this would not rule out the possibility that the ARC scheme and the Identity Cards programme might share some common infrastructure.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the research programme of the Identity Cards programme team.

Des Browne: Both quantitative and qualitative research on the public's views on identity cards has been conducted since the start of the first consultation exercise in July 2002. This also included specific research on the views of people from minority ethnic groups. The findings of all research completed to date have been published at www.identitycards.gov.uk
	Research which is currently not ready for publication consists of qualitative research on the public's views on the process of how ID cards will be issued and used and qualitative research to identify the special needs of particular groups which need to be incorporated into the design of the scheme, for example ensuring that the enrolment facilities can be used by people with disabilities.
	Research which is planned but not yet commissioned will also be undertaken in early 2005 on how passport holders' will react to the new processes for issuing more secure passports and later ID cards, for example will this encourage them to renew their passport earlier than planned. Quantitative research will also be undertaken as part of regular surveys on broader Home Office issues.

Identity Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of (a) the number of identity cards issued each year which may contain erroneous information, (b) the number of centres required for the registering of biometric details of British citizens requiring an ID card and (c) the annual cost of maintaining each such centre.

Des Browne: No estimate has been made of the number of ID cards that will be issued each year with erroneous information. Our current best estimate is that between 70 and 100 offices of various sizes will be required to register biometric details for both biometric passports and ID cards. In addition to fixed sites, we are assessing how cost effective it will be to use mobile enrolment centres to provide increased coverage. The .estimate of the annual cost of maintaining such centres is included the running cost figures quoted in the Regulatory Impact Assessment which was published when the Bill was introduced. The estimate of the proportion attributable to the cost of enrolment centres has not been placed in the public domain for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Identity Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the likely fees to be charged for (a) the modification of identity cards, (b) making or modifying entries on identity cards, (c) the issue of identity cards, (d) applications for provision of information contained on the Information Register, (e) provision of information from the Information Register, (f) applications for confirmation of information recorded on the Information Register, (g) the issue or refusal of such a confirmation of information from the Information Register, (h) applications for the approval of a person or apparatus (the accreditation) and (i) the grant of such approvals.

Des Browne: The best current estimate of the fee for a combined package of a 10-year passport and ID card is £85. The charges for the other services described in the question are subject to future policy decisions on charging and further work on demand and volumes. While the Identity Cards Bill which was introduced to Parliament on 29 November 2004 provides powers to charge for such services there is no automatic presumption that charges will apply in all of these circumstances.

Identity Cards (Scotland)

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the provisions for introduction of identity cards in Scotland will be the same as for the rest of the United Kingdom.

Des Browne: The Identity Cards Bill applies to the whole of the United Kingdom. This includes provision for the registration for identity cards, including the power to make it a requirement to register, to apply throughout the UK.
	The Bill also allows for required identity checks regulations to be made for public services which are within the competence of the Westminster Parliament. Regulations for public services which fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament will be a matter for that Parliament.

Illegal Workers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been carried out against employers for employing illegal workers in each year since 1993.

Des Browne: The latest available information on the number of persons proceeded against and those found guilty under section 8 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1996 is shown in the table.
	
		Number of persons proceeded against and those found guilty of offences under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, England and Wales 1997 to 2003
		
			 Offence description(86) Statute Year Persons(86) proceeded against Persons(86)found guilty 
		
		
			 Employing a person subject to immigration Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 1997 1997 (87)— (87)— 
			 control who has attained the age of 16. section 8. 1998 1998 1 1 
			 — — 1999 4 1 
			 — — 2000 10 4 
			 — — 2001 5 1 
			 — — 2002 2 1 
			 —  (88)2003 2 1 
		
	
	(86) Principal immigration offence
	(87) Not applicable
	(88) Provisional figures
	Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 first introduced the offence of employing illegal migrant workers and it came into force on 27 January 1997. No figures are therefore available for the years prior to this date.

Immigration

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for exceptional leave to remain in 2003 were determined (a) within one month of the date of application, (b) within two to six months, (c) within seven to 12 months, (d) within 13 to 24 months and (e) not within 24 months.

Des Browne: 7,210 initial asylum decisions were granted Exceptional Leave to Remain (ELR), Humanitarian Protection (HP) or Discretionary Leave (DL) 1 in 2003. The table shows the time taken for these initial decisions.
	1 Humanitarian Protection (HP) and Discretionary Leave (DL) replaced Exceptional Leave to Remain (ELR) from 1 April 2003.
	
		Grants of ELR, HP or DL in 2003 by time taken to initial decision(89)
		
			 Length to time to initial decision for ELR, HP or DL in 2003 Percentage 
		
		
			 29 days or less 11 
			 One month to less than two months 55 
			 Two months to less than six months 19 
			 Six months to less than one year 8 
			 One year to less than two years 3 
			 Two years or more 5 
		
	
	(89) Figures are provisional.
	82 per cent. of applications (excluding withdrawals and third country cases) received in 2003–04 (April 2003 to March 2004) had initial decisions reached and served within two months. This exceeded the Government's target of 75 per cent. for 2003–04.
	Information on asylum initial decisions and timeliness of initial decisions are published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Immigration

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he proposes to make to the House of Lords judgment of 8 December in connection with discrimination by the immigration service against Roma people intending to travel to the UK from the Czech Republic; and what instructions he has issued to discontinue such practices.

Des Browne: Although the judgment found that Immigration Officers operating pre-clearance at Prague airport in 2001 had discriminated against Roma people, it also found that they were not in breach of international law in refusing passengers entry to claim asylum. The scheme was operated two years ago as a short-term response to a high level of immigration abuse by passengers travelling from Prague. It was always intended that the pre-clearance arrangements would be operated in a non- discriminatory manner in relation to ethnic or national origin.
	We will be studying the judgement carefully for any implications it may have as to our future operations, but it is important to note that this case relates specifically to immigration controls no longer in operation following the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union.

Immigration Officials

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) immigration and (b) security officials have been based at each major port of entry to the United Kingdom in each year since 1997.

Des Browne: (a) The number of immigration officials working at the major ports of entry to the UK since 1997 are set out in the table:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Heathrow (90)618 900.3 841 836.3 832.3 925.5 1005 1040.4 
			 Gatwick (91)— 317.8 336 379.9 376.1 427.6 434.1 406.3 
			 Dover (90)255 (90)309.5 (90)308.9 (90)338.3 396.3 491.3 709.3 898.6 
			 Stansted (90)47.8 57.8 53.8 58 59.3 62.6 73.8 90.2 
			 Manchester (91)— (91)— 84.1 86.1 86.9 97.6 74.2 90.2 
			 Birmingham (91)— (90)25 38 37.8 45.6 45.8 44.7 49.9 
			 Waterloo (91)— 124 118.8 116.7 104.1 137.2 163.6 119.8 
		
	
	(90) Complete figures are not available
	(91) No figures available for this year
	"Immigration officials" is taken to mean staff employed in the following grades: assistant immigration officer, immigration officer, chief immigration officer and immigration inspector.
	(b) The deployment of security personnel is a matter for individual airports and maritime ports of entry into the UK and as such information about the number of security staff they employ is not held centrally. Government inspectors with responsibility for transport security work closely with industry to ensure that they have the necessary protective security measures.

IT (Disciplinary Procedures)

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department have (a) received official warnings and (b) faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The figures, so far as information is available in the form requested, are as follows:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 
			  (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (b) 
		
		
			 HO n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 4 4 
			 IND n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2 1 
			 FSS n/a n/a n/a n/a 5 5 1 1 
			 UKPRS nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil 
			 HMPS(92) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
			  (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (b) 
		
		
			 HO 3 3 6 7 2 2 nil nil 
			 IND 7 4 74 57 20 10 26 8 
			 FSS 2 2 5 5 1 1 23 23 
			 UKPRS nil nil nil nil 4 15 nil nil 
			 HMPS(92) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	1 Figures for HMPS are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Note:
	(a) Staff receiving official warnings following breaches of IT policy.
	(b) Staff facing disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy.
	HO—non-Agency Home Office
	IND—Immigration and Nationality Directorate
	FSS—Forensic Science Service
	UKPRS—United Kingdom Passport and Records Service
	HMPS—Her Majesty's Prison Service

Knives

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sentences are available to judges for under-age carrying of knives.

Paul Goggins: The offence of having an article with a blade or point in a public place without good reason or lawful authority carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment. Certain knives, such as flick-knives, are categorised as offensive weapons. Possession of an offensive weapon without lawful authority or reasonable excuse carries a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment.
	18–20 year olds can receive a sentence of Detention in a Young Offenders Institution up to the maximum period of imprisonment available in the case of an over-21 year old. Offenders under 18 can receive a Detention and Training Order of up to 24 months for either of these offences.

Law of Murder

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has in the forthcoming review of the law of murder to implement the recommendations of the recent Law Commission Report to distinguish between sentencing for different types of murder.

Paul Goggins: Following the statement made by the then Home Secretary (Mr. Blunkett) to the House on 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1579, on the setting up of a review of murder, we are currently considering the full terms of reference for the review and will be announcing these in due course.

Mobile Phones

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to police forces on the enforcement of laws relating to driving while using a mobile phone.

Caroline Flint: The new, specific, offence of using a hand-held phone while driving is intended to provide a simple, objective offence, the enforcement and prosecution of which does not depend on judgments of control or carelessness. The Association of Chief Police Officers have welcomed it as a straightforward method of dealing with this dangerous behaviour. The police will enforce the offence as operationally appropriate, and no specific guidance has been issued by the Government.

National Identity Register

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional office accommodation will be required to house the employees of the National Identity Register; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such additional accommodation.

Des Browne: Additional accommodation will be required for the biometric enrolment centres, some will be permanent, other accommodation will be temporary for mobile centres. Work is under way within the Identity Cards programme to determine the extent to which current Government accommodation can be used by the Identity Cards Programme. The cost assumptions and cost estimates which are being used pending completion of this work have not been placed in the public domain for reasons of commercial confidentiality but the cost is covered within the estimates published in the Regulatory Impact Assessment.

National Offender Management Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the responses to the consultation on the National Offender Management Service.

Paul Goggins: There have been two formal consultations about the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) since January 2004. The first followed the publication of "Reducing Crime— Changing Lives", the Government's response to Patrick Carter's review of Correctional Services; the second was in connection with the proposed organisational design of NOMS.
	In accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Consultation, a summary analysis and response has been prepared. It was announced to Parliament on Tuesday 26 October and is available in the Library of each House. It has also been made available to staff and key stakeholders through the prisons, probation and Home Office websites.

Nationalisation Advisory Board

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) names and (b) occupations of the members of the Advisory Board on Nationalisation and Integration; and what the remit is of the Advisory Board on Nationalisation and Integration.

Des Browne: The Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration (ABNI) is an advisory non-departmental public body. Its terms of reference are:
	To advise on the implementation and processes of initial and final assessment of understanding of language and of civic structures as required by the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
	To advise on ways in which language and citizenship education resources and support services both in the public and in the voluntary might be developed and better co-ordinated.
	To advise on future development of the programme of studies and suggest changes in light of feedback from early participants.
	To publish an annual report on the administration of the learning and teaching processes involved in naturalisation, on the integration of immigrants, and on immigration law and procedures and educational regulations that directly affect assessment for naturalisation.
	
		Members of the ABNI
		
			 Member Occupation 
		
		
			 Professor Sir Bernard Crick, Chair Emeritus Professor of Politics, Birkbeck College, University of London 
			 Ms. Mary Coussey, Vice-Chair Independent Race Monitor to the Immigration Service and Equality and Diversity consultant 
			 Ms. Celine Castelino Head of ESOL Development at the Basic Skills Agency 
			 Mrs. Mary Curnock Cook Director of Qualifications and Skills, at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) 
			 Ms. Sally Daghlian Chief Executive of the Scottish Refugee Council: Trustee of the British Refugee Council 
			 Sir Robert Dowling Head teacher of an inner city comprehensive school 
			 Ms. Samina Khan County Community Education Officer(Essential Skills, Cardiff 
			 Mrs. Janet Luff Curriculum Manager for ESOL at Liverpool Community College 
			 Ms. Adeeba Malik Deputy Chief Executive of QED(UK 
			 Professor Elizabeth Meehan Professor of Politics and Jean Monnet Professor at Queens' University Belfast, and Director of the Institute of Governance, Public Policy and Social Research 
			 Dr. Robert David Muir Independent consultant, specialising in diversity training 
			 Sir Gulam Noon Chairman of the Noon Group, The Noon Foundation, and Noon Products Ltd. Managing Director of Bombay Halwa Ltd. 
			 Mr. Ashok Ohri Self-employed consultant and trainer in the field of community development. Co-director of Organisation and Social Development Consultants Ltd. 
			 Ms. Maeve Sherlock Chief Executive of the Refugee Council. 
			 Mrs. Jean Wilson On secondment to the Scottish Qualifications Authority as ESOL Development Officer. Co-chair of the National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults (NATECLA). 
			 Mr. Patrick Wintour Director of the Employability Forum: Member of the National Refugee Integration Forum. 
			 Ms. Annette Zera Freelance facilitator and trainer in organisational development. Previously, Principal of Tower Hamlets College.

New Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 December 204, Official Report, column 410W, on new prisons, on what date the meeting with the hon. Member for Elmet (Colin Burgon) was first suggested; and whether the meeting was initiated by the Minister.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 13 December 2004
	The hon. Member for Elmet requested a meeting with me on Friday 12 November. We met on Thursday 18 November.

Offender Behaviour Programmes

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the offender behaviour programmes available at each prison establishment.

Paul Goggins: The accredited offending behaviour and drug treatment programmes delivered by each establishment are shown in the following tables but may be subject to change.
	
		Offending behaviour programmes by establishment
		
			 Establishment ETS CSB CALM CSCP DV SOTP 
		
		
			 Acklington Yes — — — Yes Yes 
			 Albany Yes Yes — — — Yes 
			 Altcourse (p) (92)— — — — — — 
			 Ashfield (p) — — — — — — 
			 Ashwell Yes — — — — — 
			 Askham Grange — — — — — — 
			 Aylesbury Yes — Yes — — Yes 
			 Bedford — — — — — — 
			 Belmarsh — — — — — — 
			 Birmingham — — — — — — 
			 Blakenhurst Yes — — — — (92)— 
			 Blantyre House — — — — — — 
			 Blundeston Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Brinsford Yes — — — — — 
			 Bristol Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Brixton (92)— — — — — — 
			 Brockhill — — — — — — 
			 Buckley Hall Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Bullingdon Yes — — — — — 
			 Bullwood Hall Yes — — — — — 
			 Camp Hill Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Canterbury (92)— — — — — — 
			 Cardiff Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Castington Yes — — — — — 
			 Channings Wood Yes — — Yes — Yes 
			 Chelmsford Yes — — — — — 
			 Coldingley (92)— — — — — — 
			 Cookham Wood (92)— — — — — — 
			 Dartmoor Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Deerbolt Yes — — — — — 
			 Doncaster (p) (92)— — — — — — 
			 Dorchester (92)— — — — — — 
			 Dovegate (p) Yes — — — — (92)— 
			 Dover — — — — — — 
			 Downview Yes — — — — — 
			 Drake Hall Yes Yes — — — — 
			 Durham — — — — — — 
			 Eastwood Park (92)— — — — — — 
			 Edmonds Hill (92)— — — — — — 
			 Elmley Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Erlestoke Yes — — — Yes — 
			 Everthorpe Yes — — — — — 
			 Exeter Yes — — — — — 
			 Featherstone Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Feltham Yes — — — — — 
			 Ford (92)— — — — — — 
			 Forest Bank (p) (92)— — — — — — 
			 Foston Hall Yes — — — — — 
			 Frankland Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Full Sutton Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Garth Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Gartree Yes — Yes Yes Yes — 
			 Glen Parva Yes — — — — — 
			 Gloucester — — — — — — 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill — — — — — — 
			 Guys Marsh Yes — (92)— — — — 
			 Haslar — — — — — — 
			 Haverigg Camp — — — — — — 
			 Hewell Grange — — — — — — 
			 High Down (92)— — (92)— — — — 
			 Highpoint (adult male) Yes Yes (92)— — — — 
			 Hindley Yes — (92)— — — — 
			 Hollesley Bay — — — — — — 
			 Holloway — — — — — — 
			 Holme House Yes — — — — — 
			 Hull Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Huntercombe — — — — — — 
			 Kingston — — Yes Yes — — 
			 Kirkham — — — — — — 
			 Kirklevington — — — — — — 
			 Lancaster Castle — — — — — — 
			 Lancaster Farms Yes — — — — — 
			 Latchmere House — — — — — — 
			 Leeds — — — — — — 
			 Leicester (92)— — — — — — 
			 Lewes (92)— — — — — — 
			 Leyhill Yes Yes — — — Yes 
			 Lincoln (92)— — — — — — 
			 Lindholme Yes — — — — — 
			 Littlehey Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Liverpool Yes — — — — — 
			 Long Lartin Yes — Yes Yes — — 
			 Low Newton Yes — — — — — 
			 Lowdham Grange (p) Yes — — — — — 
			 Maidstone Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Manchester Yes — — — Yes Yes 
			 Moorland Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Morton Hall — — — — — — 
			 New Hall Yes — — — — — 
			 North Sea Camp — — — — — — 
			 Northallerton — — — — — — 
			 Norwich Yes Yes — — — — 
			 Nottingham (92)— — — — — — 
			 Onley Yes — — — — — 
			 Parc (p) Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Parkhurst Yes — Yes Yes — — 
			 Pentonville Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Portland Yes — — — — — 
			 Preston Yes — — — — — 
			 Ranby Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Reading Yes — — — — — 
			 Risley Yes — Yes — — Yes 
			 Rochester (92)— — — — — — 
			 Rye hill (p) Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Send Yes — — — — — 
			 Shepton Mallet Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Shrewsbury — — — — — — 
			 Stafford Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Standford Hill (92)— — — — — — 
			 Stocken Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Stoke Heath Yes — — — — — 
			 Styal Yes — — — — — 
			 Sudbury (92)— (92)— — — — — 
			 Swaleside Yes Yes Yes Yes — — 
			 Swansea Yes — — — — — 
			 Swinfen Hall Yes — Yes — — Yes 
			 The Mount Yes — Yes — — — 
			 The Verne Yes — — — — — 
			 The Wolds (p) Yes Yes Yes — — — 
			 Thorn Cross Yes — — — — — 
			 Usk/Prescoed Yes Yes — — — Yes 
			 Wakefield Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Wandsworth Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Warren Hill — — — — — — 
			 Wayland Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Wealstun Yes — — — — — 
			 Weare — — — — — — 
			 Wellingborough Yes Yes — — — — 
			 Werrington — — — — — — 
			 Wetherby — — — — — — 
			 Whatton Yes — — — — Yes 
			 Whitemoor Yes — Yes — — — 
			 Winchester Yes — (92)— — — — 
			 Woodhill Yes — — — — (92)— 
			 Wormwood Scrubs Yes — — — — (92)— 
			 Wymott Yes Yes — — — Yes 
		
	
	Yes = Establishments which are currently delivering and will deliver 2005–06.
	(92) Establishments which were delivering in 2003–04 and will cease to deliver during 2004–05.
	ETS—Enhanced Thinking Skills
	CSB—Cognitive Skills Booster
	CALM—Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it
	CSCP—Cognitive Self-Change Programme
	DV—Domestic Violence (aka Healthy Relationships)
	SOTP—Sex Offender Treatment Programmes
	
		Drug programmes
		
			 Establishment New programmes funded by NDPDU Existing PASRO/SDP Other exiting programmes 
		
		
			 Acklington — — AOD 
			 Altcourse SDP — STOP 
			 Ashfield (J) — — Validated 
			 Ashwell — PASRO — 
			 Aylesbury (Yes) — — RAPT 
			 Bedford — SDP — 
			 Birmingham SDP — —(93) 
			 Blakenhurst — SDP — 
			 Blundeston PASRO — —(93) 
			 Bristol — — Validated 
			 Brixton — PASRO — 
			 Brixton — SDP — 
			 Bullingdon SDP — Ley 
			 Bullwood Hall (F) — — AOD 
			 Camp Hill PASRO — — 
			 Canterbury PASRO — — 
			 Cardiff — PASRO — 
			 Castington (Yes) SDP — — 
			 Channings Wood — — TC 
			 Chelmsford — PASRO — 
			 Coldingley — — RAPT 
			 Cookham Wood (F) PASRO — — 
			 Dartmoor — PASRO — 
			 Deerbolt (Yes) PASRO — —(93) 
			 Doncaster SDP — — 
			 Dorchester SDP — — 
			 Downview(F) PASRO — — 
			 Drake Hall (F) — — Validated 
			 Durham PASRO — — 
			 Edmund Hill PASRO — —(93) 
			 Elmley — PASRO — 
			 Erlestoke — — 12 Step P/S 
			 Everthorpe PASRO — 12 Step Rapt 
			 Exeter — SDP — 
			 F Bank SDP — — 
			 Featherstone PASRO — — 
			 Ford SDP — — 
			 Frankland — — FOCUS 
			 Full Sutton — — FOCUS 
			 Garth — — TC 
			 Gartree — — STOP 
			 Glen Parva (Yes) — PASRO — 
			 Glen Parva (Yes) — SDP — 
			 Gloucester — — Validated 
			 Guys Marsh (Yes) — PASRO — 
			 Haverigg — PASRO — 
			 High Point — — AOD 
			 Highdown PASRO — — 
			 Hindley (Yes) — PASRO — 
			 Hollesley Bay SDP — — 
			 Holloway(F) SDP — — 
			 Holme House SDP — TC 
			 Hull SDP — — 
			 Kingston PASRO — — 
			 Kirkham PASRO — — 
			 Lancaster Castle — PASRO 12 Step P/S 
			 Lancaster Farms (Yes) SDP — — 
			 Leeds — PASRO — 
			 Leicester SDP — — 
			 Lewes PASRO — — 
			 Leyhill — — Validated 
			 Lincoln PASRO — — 
			 Lindholme — PASRO — 
			 Littlehey — — 12 Step Rapt 
			 Liverpool — PASRO — 
			 Long Lartin — — FOCUS 
			 Low Newton (F) — PASRO — 
			 Lowdon Grange — — AOD 
			 Maidstone — PASRO — 
			 Manchester SDP — — 
			 Moorland — PASRO — 
			 North Sea Camp SDP — — 
			 New Hall — SDP — 
			 Northallerton (Yes) SDP — — 
			 Norwich — — 12 Step Rapt 
			 Nottingham — SDP Validated 
			 Onley (Yes) PASRO — — 
			 Pare — PASRO — 
			 Parkhurst PASRO — — 
			 Pentonville SDP — — 
			 Pentonville PASRO — —(93) 
			 Portland PASRO — — 
			 Preston SDP — — 
			 Ranby PASRO — —(93) 
			 Reading (Yes) — — Validated 
			 Risley — PASRO — 
			 Rochester (Yes) — PASRO — 
			 Send (F) — — RAPT 
			 Stafford — PASRO — 
			 Stocken — — STOP 
			 Stoke Heath (Yes) SDP — — 
			 Styal (F) SDP — —(93) 
			 Swaleside — — RAPT 
			 Swansea SDP — 12 Step P/S 
			 Swinfen Hall (Yes) — PASRO — 
			 T/Cross SDP — — 
			 The Mount — — 12 Step Rapt 
			 The Verne — — 12 Step P/S 
			 Wakefield — — FOCUS 
			 Wandsworth — — 12 Step Rapt 
			 Warren Hill (J) — — Validated 
			 Wayland — PASRO — 
			 Wealston PASRO — —(93) 
			 Weare SDP — — 
			 Wellingborough PASRO — — 
			 Whitemoor — — FOCUS 
			 Winchester PASRO — — 
			 Winchester SDP — — 
			 Woodhill SDP — — 
			 Wormwood Scrubbs — SDP AOD 
			 Wymott — — TC 
		
	
	(93) AOD or validated converting to PASRO/SDP by 31 March 2005.
	Validated—Programmes agreed locally but are not accredited
	AOD—Action on Drugs
	PASRO—Prison—Addressing Substance Related Offending
	FOCUS—A high intensity cognitive behavioural programme
	RAPT—Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust
	TC—Therapeutic Community
	SDP—Short Duration Programme
	STOP—Substance Treatment and Offending Programme
	NDPDU—National Drug Programme Delivery Unit

Police Injuries

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been victims of (a) fatal injuries, (b) serious injuries and (c) slight injuries resulting from (i) gun crime and (ii) knife crime in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The available information relates to the number of police officers injured by a firearm while on duty and is given in the table. With regard to knife crime, information is only available for police officers who suffer fatal injuries where the apparent method of killing was a sharp instrument. Two police officers have suffered a fatal injury in these circumstances during the period requested, one in 1997–98 and one in 2002–03.
	
		Crimes recorded by the police in which a police officer on duty was injured by a firearm—1997–98 to 2002–03
		
			 Period Total Fatal injury Serious injury(94) Slight injury 
		
		
			 1997–98 6 — 3 3 
			 1998–99 11 — — 11 
			 1999–2000 10 — — 10 
			 2000–01 7 — 5 2 
			 2001–02 10 — — 10 
			 2002–03 12 — 1 11 
		
	
	(94) A serious injury is one which necessitated detention in hospital or involved fractures, concussion, severe general shock, penetration by a bullet or multiple shot wounds

Policing

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were stopped and tested for drink driving in each of the last five years (a) in Lancashire, (b) in each police authority area and (c) in total.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is given in the table.
	
		Number of screening breath tests by police force area, 1998–2002(95) -- England and Wales
		
			 Police force area 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 19,700 19,200 15,800 15,400 15,100 
			 Bedfordshire 5,300 2,900 3,300 4,200 6,200 
			 Cambridgeshire 17,800 13,600 12,800 12,700 13,000 
			 Cheshire 23,300 20,500 15,800 13,600 12,200 
			 Cleveland 34,200 28,600 18,800 14,100 11,000 
			 Cumbria 9,400 7,100 6,100 5,100 4,700 
			 Derbyshire 35,700 49,200 52,000 42,100 37,900 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15,700 14,700 13,000 13,500 12,600 
			 Dorset 10,100 9,200 12,300 10,400 10,400 
			 Durham 7,400 12,700 15,300 16,300 9,500 
			 Essex 28,400 24,100 27,200 18,900 16,100 
			 Gloucestershire 9,300 8,300 8,200 9,600 9,300 
			 Greater Manchester 31,200 21,500 27,300 23,900 23,200 
			 Hampshire 27,300 31,600 35,200 35,200 35,200 
			 Hertfordshire 8,100 7,000 6,000 5,500 4,300 
			 Humberside 8,300 8,100 9,400 7,500 8,700 
			 Kent 27,500 32,700 32,200 32,200 34,200 
			 Lancashire 20,300 19,100 15,500 10,000 10,600 
			 Leicestershire 20,200 21,100 18,600 14,900 14,500 
			 Lincolnshire 25,900 21,000 12,100 13,600 9,000 
			 London, City of 3,300 1,700 1,100 1,100 1,400 
			 Merseyside 18,700 18,600 12,800 7,200 7,000 
			 Metropolitan Police 111,400 99,800 93,800 65,100 57,200 
			 Norfolk 12,400 11,600 9,100 9,100 5,300 
			 Northamptonshire 4,700 5,300 5,800 4,500 3,300 
			 Northumbria 12,200 12,500 12,700 12,400 11,800 
			 North Yorkshire 9,900 8,100 6,700 7,400 7,300 
			 Nottinghamshire 8,900 8,400 8,400 7,700 5,800 
			 South Yorkshire 12,600 16,100 19,200 18,000 14,400 
			 Staffordshire 15,400 10,100 7,700 4,700 5,300 
			 Suffolk 15,600 15,100 9,200 8,600 8,900 
			 Surrey 11,400 11,700 12,400 13,300 7,500 
			 Sussex 17,400 17,900 20,800 21,800 17,300 
			 Thames Valley 34,200 30,300 30,800 26,200 25,300 
			 Warwickshire 8,700 8,600 7,100 5,800 5,100 
			 West Mercia 19,100 12,300 8,900 9,100 8,200 
			 West Midlands 24,100 21,300 16,200 12,200 10,500 
			 West Yorkshire 22,900 18,800 18,300 17,200 16,700 
			 Wiltshire 7,100 6,800 6,500 5,900 5,900 
			   
			 Dyfed-Powys 9,200 9,900 7,400 7,000 7,300 
			 Gwent 11,200 10,600 10,100 6,400 3,800 
			 North Wales 15,200 15,900 15,000 15,100 19,600 
			 South Wales 24,900 20,700 17,800 19,300 17,500 
			 Total 815,500 764,500 714,800 623,900 570,200 
		
	
	(95) Figures for 2003 will be available in the spring 2005

Prisoners

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female remand prisoners were subsequently (i) acquitted and (ii) sentenced to a non-custodial penalty in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The following table gives the estimated numbers of male and female defendants remanded in custody by final outcome at the magistrates' courts and the Crown court in 2003.
	
		Final court outcome for persons remanded in custody at some stage in magistrates' courts and Crown court(96) 2003 -- Thousand (of persons)
		
			 Final outcome Male Female Total 
		
		
			 Acquitted or not proceeded with etc. 20 2 22 
			 Convicted:
			 Discharge 3 1 3 
			 Fine 4 0 4 
			 Community sentence(97) 14 2 16 
			 Fully suspended sentence 0 0 0 
			 Immediate custody(98) 44 4 48 
			 Total number sentenced(99) 71 8 79 
		
	
	(96) Remand status shown is that given by the court passing sentence. Includes those remanded for part of the time in custody and part on bail.
	(97) Community rehabilitation orders, supervision orders, community punishment orders, attendance centre orders, community punishment and rehabilitation orders, curfew orders, reparation orders action plan orders and drug treatment and testing orders.
	(98) Includes detention in a young offender institution, detention and training orders and unsuspended imprisonment.
	(99) Includes offences otherwise dealt with.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there were in each prison establishment for (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff as at 1 November.

Paul Goggins: The most recent information on staff vacancies against operational staffing requirement is at 30 September 2004. For each public sector prison establishment this is contained in the following table. The figures represent a snapshot of staffing at establishment level and do not take into account new staff who were still in the recruitment process on 30 September.
	
		Staff vacancies at prisons and young offender institutes at30 June 2003(100)
		
			 Establishment Officers grades Other staff 
		
		
			 Acklington -7 — 
			 Albany -8 — 
			 Ashwell -3 -14 
			 Askham Grange -2 -3 
			 Aylesbury -15 — 
			 Bedford -18 -10 
			 Belmarsh -34 -31 
			 Birmingham -18 -5 
			 Blakenhurst — — 
			 Blantyre House -3 — 
			 Blundeston — -5 
			 Brinsford -24 -17 
			 Bristol -15 -1 
			 Brixton -8 — 
			 Brockhill -7 -7 
			 Buckley Hall -4 — 
			 Bullingdon -19 -34 
			 Bullwood Hall -10 — 
			 Camp Hill -3 — 
			 Canterbury — -13 
			 Cardiff — -10 
			 Castington -6 -5 
			 Channings Wood — -2 
			 Chelmsford -10 -2 
			 Coldingley -10 -1 
			 Cookham Wood -4 — 
			 Dartmoor -2 -0 
			 Deerbolt — -4 
			 Dorchester -9 — 
			 Dover -1 -14 
			 Downview -19 — 
			 Drake Hall -7 — 
			 Durham -16 -10 
			 East Sutton Park — -1 
			 Eastwood Park -5 -34 
			 Edmunds Hill -12 -19 
			 Elmley — -8 
			 Erlestoke -3 -30 
			 Everthorpe — — 
			 Exeter -1 -7 
			 Featherstone — — 
			 Feltham -75 — 
			 Ford -3 -7 
			 Foston Hall -10 -21 
			 Frankland -29 — 
			 Full Button -11 -25 
			 Garth -5 — 
			 Gartree -8 -14 
			 Glen Pan/a -15 -14 
			 Gloucester -10 -9 
			 Grendon -18 — 
			 Guys Marsh -4 -2 
			 Haslar -1 -6 
			 Haverigg -10 -1 
			 Hewell Grange — -2 
			 High Down -16 — 
			 Highpoint -9 -19 
			 Hindley -18 — 
			 Hollesley Bay -0 -2 
			 Holloway -17 — 
			 Holme House -1 -16 
			 Hull -7 -13 
			 Huntercombe -13 -12 
			 Kingston -3 — 
			 Kirkham -5 -3 
			 Kirklevington Grange — -0 
			 Lancaster -3 -8 
			 Lancaster Farms -7 -5 
			 Latch mere House -4 -2 
			 Leeds — -15 
			 Leicester -15 — 
			 Lewes -8 -12 
			 Leyhill -6 -16 
			 Lincoln -2 -18 
			 Lindholme -1 — 
			 Littlehey -9 -18 
			 Liverpool — -18 
			 Long Lartin -13 -14 
			 Low Newton -5 — 
			 Maidstone -9 -13 
			 Manchester -44 -27 
			 Moorland -4 -6 
			 Morton Hall — — 
			 New Hall -9 -3 
			 North Sea Camp -2 -10 
			 Northallerton — -4 
			 Norwich -5 -24 
			 Nottingham — -0 
			 Onley -9 -15 
			 Parkhurst -15 -22 
			 Pentonville -25 — 
			 Portland -8 -10 
			 Preston -2 — 
			 Ran by -14 — 
			 Reading -4 — 
			 Risley -7 -5 
			 Rochester -2 -16 
			 Send -15 -12 
			 Shepton Mallet -2 -4 
			 Shrewsbury -6 — 
			 Stafford -0 — 
			 Standford Hill -1 -9 
			 Stocken -2 -5 
			 Stoke Heath -18 — 
			 Styal -4 -9 
			 Sudbury -2 -4 
			 Swaleside — -4 
			 Swansea -4 -1 
			 Swinfen Hall -15 -19 
			 The Mount -11 -6 
			 The Verne — — 
			 Thorn Cross -1 — 
			 Usk/Prescoed — -6 
			 Wakefield -4 -9 
			 Wandsworth -35 -1 
			 Warren Hill -8 -2 
			 Wayland -3 -8 
			 Wealstun -6 — 
			 Weare -2 -2 
			 Wellingborough -38 -47 
			 Werrington -5 -4 
			 Wetherby -13 — 
			 Whatton — -15 
			 Whitemoor -17 -63 
			 Winchester -4 -10 
			 Woodhill -9 -27 
			 Wormwood Scrubs -14 — 
			 Wymott -5 -26 
			 Total -1,061 -1029 
		
	
	(100) Figures do not take into account all new staff who were still in the recruitment at 30 September 2004

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to second offender managers from local probation services to work for regional offender managers; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Various options relating to the transfer of responsibility for Offender Managers are under consideration. A decision will be announced in due course.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for offender managers employed by probation areas in England and Wales to work for regional offender managers via service level agreements; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Various options relating to the transfer of responsibility for Offender Managers are under consideration. A decision will be announced in due course.

Probation Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total number of (a) staff, (b) probation officers, (c) Probation Service officers and (d) local support staff working in the Probation Service in England and Wales was on (i) 1 April 2001, (ii) 1 April 2002, (iii) 1 April 2003, (iv) 1 April 2004 and (v) 30 September 2004.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows.
	
		England and Wales
		
			   (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) 
			  Probation staff1,2 31 December 2001 31 December 2002 1 April 2003 1 April 2004 30 September 2004 
		
		
			 (a) All staff 16,615 17,285 17,752 19,237 19,128 
			 (b) Probation officers(103) 7,134 7,532 7,351 8,106 7,992 
			 (c) Probation service officers 3,566 4,083 4,752 5,417 5,513 
			 (d) Local support staff(104) 5,915 5,670 5,649 5,714 5,623 
		
	
	(101) Figures shown as FTE.
	(102) Prior to April 2003, all data was collected by the Home Office RDS Unit in December of each year, and therefore no actual data is available for April 2001 and 2002. Actual data collection date of the data from 2003 onwards is 31 March.
	(103) Figures include Senior Probation Officers, Senior Practitioners, Probation Officers, Trainee Probation Officers.
	(104) Figures include all other staff employed within the Probation Service excluding those listed in 3 above and Probation Service Officers.

Probation Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there were in the Probation Service on (a) 1 April 2001, (b) 1 April 2002, (c) 1 April 2003, (d) 1 April 2004 and (e) 30 September 2004.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Probation staff (105) , (106): number of vacancies (107) , (108) England and Wales
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 31 December 2001 (109)— (109)— 
			 31 December 2002 (109)— (109)— 
			 1 April 2003(110) 1,059.9 5.6 
			 1 April 2004(110) 1,010.3 5.0 
			 30 September 2004(111) 758.9 3.9 
		
	
	(105) Figures shown as FTE.
	(106) Prior to April 2003, all data was collected by the Home Office RDS Unit in December of each year, and therefore no actual data is available for April 2001 and 2002. Actual data collection date of the data from 2003 onwards is 31 March.
	(107) Figures quoted for April 2003 and April 2004 are net vacancy levels. This figure takes into account any areas where staff may have been recruited over-establishment at one level to cover vacancies at another level. This may be necessary where difficulties arise in recruitment into these posts.
	(108) From April 2004 onwards, the vacancy information collected changed and reflected those vacancies that areas were actively recruiting staff into.
	(109) Vacancy information not collected at this time.
	(110) Vacancy figures are calculated against a notional complement of staff.
	(111) Figures issued prior to publication and may alter slightly when published in Issue 05 of the Workforce Information Report due to some outstanding queries awaiting responses.

Protection from Harassment Act

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many magistrates court prosecutions under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 resulted in (a) conviction and (b) acquittal in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003, broken down by sex.

Paul Goggins: The information contained in the table gives the number of persons, by sex, proceeded against, found guilty, acquitted at magistrates courts for offences under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales 2001 to 2003.
	
		Number of persons proceeded against, found guilty, acquitted at magistrates courts for offences under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (112), England and Wales 2001 to 2003
		
			 Sex Proceeded against(113) Found guilty Acquitted(114) 
		
		
			 2001
			 Male 5,014 2,377 385 
			 Female 859 320 69 
			 Total 5,873 2,697 454 
			 
			 2002
			 Male 5,008 2,422 443 
			 Female 833 328 74 
			 Total 5,841 2,750 517 
			 
			 2003
			 Male 5,075 2,572 336 
			 Female 816 322 68 
			 Total 5,891 2,894 404 
		
	
	(112) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(113) Those defendants who were proceeded against but were neither found guilty not acquitted were either committed to the Crown court for trial or had their cases terminated early.
	(114) Includes discharged and dismissed.

Reconviction

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes were made to the methodology used to calculate adult reconviction rates for the Spending Review 2002 Public Spending Agreement 5 target, compared to the methodology used for the Spending Review 2000 Public Spending Agreement 10 target.

Paul Goggins: The Spending Review 2000 Public Service Agreement (PSA) target 10 is to reduce reconviction rates for all offenders sentenced to imprisonment or to community supervision and for young offenders by 5 per cent. by 2003–04 compared to 1997 baselines. Both adults and young offenders are included in the measurement of progress against the all offenders element of the target, while the measure for the young offenders element covers those given pre-court disposals (cautions, reprimands and final warnings) and those sentenced to a non-custodial penalty. Young offenders starting community penalties supervised by the Probation Service were therefore included in the measurement of both elements of the target.
	The Spending Review 2002 PSA target 5 is to reduce re-offending by 5 per cent. for young offenders and for adults sentenced to imprisonment and to community sentences by 2005–06 compared to 2000 baselines. This represents two changes compared to the methodology adopted for SR 2000: firstly, young offenders starting community penalties or discharged from prison are not included in the measurement of the adult target, and secondly all young offenders, including those discharged from custody are included in the measurement of the young offender target.
	These changes were introduced in order to more clearly report the separate progress with young and adult offenders.

Sex Offenders

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the weekly reports he has requested on the management of sex offenders at HMP Prescoed.

Paul Goggins: Each week I receive from the Governor of Frescoed prison a report on the number of sex offenders held there. This report includes details of the sentence each prisoner is serving, the offence and the time served, the progress the prisoner is making and the type of work the prisoner is doing. The report also includes the same details for any prisoners expected to transfer to Frescoed from Usk in the following week.
	These weekly reports enable me to monitor the arrangements for sex offenders placed at Frescoed and to ensure that those transferring to Frescoed meet the criteria which the Prison Service set, and which I endorsed, namely that life sentenced prisoners should have received a Parole Board recommendation for open conditions, and that determinate sentenced prisoners should be within one year of release.

Spot Fines

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many on the spot fines had been issued for each police area by the latest date for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The latest provisional data shows that 40,765 penalty notices for disorder have been issued by police forces in England and Wales up to 31 October 2004. Details are shown in the table.
	
		Number of penalty notices for disorder given for all offences from 1 October 2003 to 31 October 2004 by police force area, England and Wales (Provisional)
		
			 Police force area Number of PNDs given for all offences 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 243 
			 Bedfordshire 311 
			 Cambridgeshire 197 
			 Cheshire 505 
			 City of London 33 
			   
			 Cleveland 325 
			 Cumbria 329 
			 Derbyshire 383 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,218 
			 Dorset 278 
			   
			 Durham 205 
			 Essex 1,887 
			 Gloucestershire 597 
			 Greater Manchester 1,214 
			 Hampshire 1,222 
			 Hertfordshire 210 
			 Humberside 894 
			 Kent 416 
			 Lancashire 3,486 
			 Leicestershire 438 
			   
			 Lincolnshire 209 
			 Merseyside 2,639 
			 Metropolitan Police 8,423 
			 Norfolk 387 
			 North Yorkshire 493 
			   
			 Northamptonshire 334 
			 Northumbria(115) — 
			 Nottinghamshire 678 
			 South Yorkshire 1,046 
			 Staffordshire 1,088 
			   
			 Suffolk 298 
			 Surrey 131 
			 Sussex 941 
			 Thames Valley 352 
			 Warwickshire 275 
			   
			 West Mercia 121 
			 West Midlands 4,836 
			 West Yorkshire 2,453 
			 Wiltshire 252 
			   
			 Dyfed-Powys 199 
			 Gwent 228 
			 North Wales 881 
			 South Wales 110 
			   
			 Total England and Wales 40,765 
		
	
	(115) Commenced issuing penalty notices from 1 November 2004.

Traffic Offences (Sentencing Policy)

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish detailed proposals to update sentencing policy for serious road traffic offences.

Paul Goggins: The Criminal Justice Act 2003 increased maximum sentences for causing death by dangerous and careless driving from 10 to 14 years.
	The Government believe that, the law on road traffic offences involving bad driving needs urgent reform. The announced review of road traffic offences has largely been completed but there are a number of further issues which require careful scrutiny before a consultation paper can be published. We intend to publish the consultation paper shortly.

Young Offenders

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are in place to ensure the detention of young offenders within 50 miles of their homes.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 13 December 2004
	There are no guidelines in relation to the distance that young adult offenders (aged 18–20 years) are held from their home address.
	In its management of the prison population, the National Offender Management Service aims to hold all prisoners (including young adult offenders) in establishments that: provide the degree of security they require, are suitable to their gender, age and legal status, provide special facilities appropriate to prisoner needs and are near to their homes or the courts dealing with their cases.
	The Youth Justice Board's guidance for young offenders (aged under 18) is that the most local placement will be sought which is also consistent with the other needs of the young person.